South African Unemployment Rate Jumps as Trade Sheds Jobs

A worker prepares an automobile part at a manufacturing plant in Durban.

Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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South Africa’s unemployment rate rose more than expected in the first quarter as the trade and construction sectors shed jobs.

The jobless rate increased to 32.9% in the three months through March, compared with 31.9% in the prior quarter, according to data released by Statistics South Africa in the capital, Pretoria, on Tuesday. The median estimate of four economists in a Bloomberg surveyBloomberg Terminal was 32.6%