This was a key sign that farmers could ill-afford the higher minimum wage, said Agri SA. Of the agriculture sector’s 706 000 job roll, only 63 000 jobs are skilled. Despite the job losses, the sector was still employing 45 000 more people than a year earlier.
The formal sector fared better, with the number of employed persons increasing by 308 000 between Q2 and Q3, resulting in an increase of 194 000 in the labour force, Stats SA said.
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