Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment in South Africa

South Africa: Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment was 15.15 million Persons in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
15.15 million Persons
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
15th
of 45 countries
All-time high
15.15 million Persons
in 2014
All-time low
13.79 million Persons
in 2010
Years of data
7
2008–2014

Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment in South Africa, 2008–2014

05.0M10.0M15.0M2008201120142008: 14.6M Persons2009: 14.2M Persons2010: 13.8M Persons2011: 14.1M Persons2012: 14.4M Persons2013: 14.9M Persons2014: 15.1M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

In 2014, labour indicators levels - regions — employment in South Africa stood at 15.15 million Persons. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.

South Africa ranks 15th of 45 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment in South Africa, 2008 to 2014.
Year Persons Change
2008 14.58 million Persons
2009 14.19 million Persons -2.7%
2010 13.79 million Persons -2.9%
2011 14.07 million Persons +2.0%
2012 14.42 million Persons +2.5%
2013 14.87 million Persons +3.1%
2014 15.15 million Persons +1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14.39 million Persons 14.19 million Persons 14.58 million Persons 2
2010s 14.46 million Persons 13.79 million Persons 15.15 million Persons 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Canada 20.17 million Persons compare
  2. 13 Poland 17.24 million Persons compare
  3. 14 Peru 17.18 million Persons compare
  4. 16 Australia 14.57 million Persons compare
  5. 17 Netherlands 9.90 million Persons compare
  6. 18 Chile 8.15 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 53 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour indicators levels - regions — employment in South Africa?
Labour indicators levels - regions — employment in South Africa was 15.15 million Persons in 2014, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest labour indicators levels - regions — employment recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 15.15 million Persons in 2014.
What is the lowest labour indicators levels - regions — employment recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 13.79 million Persons in 2010.
How does South Africa rank for labour indicators levels - regions — employment?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 45 countries with data for 2014.
Is labour indicators levels - regions — employment rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-indicators-levels-regions-employment/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Employment
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
53 places, 1,321 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents indicators on the size of the labour force, employment, and unemployment in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3). Data definition and source The labour force status is presented by sex, for 15-64 year-olds and 15+ year-olds age ranges, the latter having less country coverage. Data is based on a labour force survey using ILO guidelines and collected from Eurostat (reg_lmk) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid (pdf) and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table (xlsx). Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.