Time-related underemployment, female in South Africa

South Africa: Time-related underemployment, female was 5.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
5.6%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
29th
of 103 countries
All-time high
8.2%
in 2020
All-time low
5.6%
in 2024
Years of data
17
2008–2024

Time-related underemployment, female in South Africa, 2008–2024

024682008201620242008: 7.1 % of employment2009: 7.7 % of employment2010: 6.6 % of employment2011: 5.8 % of employment2012: 6.3 % of employment2013: 6.4 % of employment2014: 5.9 % of employment2015: 6.7 % of employment2016: 6.7 % of employment2017: 6.6 % of employment2018: 6.5 % of employment2019: 6.6 % of employment2020: 8.2 % of employment2021: 7.9 % of employment2022: 6.2 % of employment2023: 5.8 % of employment2024: 5.6 % of employment

Source: International Labour Organization. “Labour Force Statistics database (LFS)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/. Measured in % of employment.

Analysis

The most recent figure for time-related underemployment, female in South Africa is 5.6%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, time-related underemployment, female in South Africa peaked at 8.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2024.

South Africa ranks 29th of 103 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Time-related underemployment, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Time-related underemployment, female (% of employment) in South Africa, 2008 to 2024.
Year % of employment Change
2008 7.1%
2009 7.7% +7.5%
2010 6.6% -13.6%
2011 5.8% -12.5%
2012 6.3% +8.4%
2013 6.4% +2.0%
2014 5.9% -8.0%
2015 6.7% +13.6%
2016 6.7% -0.2%
2017 6.6% -0.8%
2018 6.5% -2.8%
2019 6.6% +2.8%
2020 8.2% +23.8%
2021 7.9% -3.9%
2022 6.2% -21.2%
2023 5.8% -6.8%
2024 5.6% -3.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.4% 7.1% 7.7% 2
2010s 6.4% 5.8% 6.7% 10
2020s 6.7% 5.6% 8.2% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 26 New Zealand 6.2% compare
  2. 27 Colombia 6.1% compare
  3. 28 Zimbabwe 5.6% compare
  4. 30 Barbados 5.5% compare
  5. 31 Afghanistan 5.4% compare
  6. 32 Belgium 5.3% compare

See the full ranking of 116 places →

More gender data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is time-related underemployment, female in South Africa?
Time-related underemployment, female in South Africa was 5.6% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization. “Labour Force Statistics database (LFS)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/.
What is the highest time-related underemployment, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 2020.
What is the lowest time-related underemployment, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2024.
How does South Africa rank for time-related underemployment, female?
South Africa ranks 29th out of 103 countries with data for 2024.
Is time-related underemployment, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization. “Labour Force Statistics database (LFS)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/, published as part of Time-related underemployment, female (% of employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Time-related underemployment, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. “Labour Force Statistics database (LFS)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/time-related-underemployment-female-percent-of-employment/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Time-related underemployment, female (% of employment)
Unit
% of employment
Source
International Labour Organization. “Labour Force Statistics database (LFS)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
116 places, 1,925 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Time-related underemployment refers to all persons in employment who (i) wanted to work additional hours, (ii) had worked less than a specified hours threshold (working time in all jobs), and (iii) were available to work additional hours given an opportunity for more work.