Chapter 05 · Unit economics
Gross value added, per worker, per industry
Productivity is what separates a high-wage economy from a low-wage one. These are the numbers, by industry, that frame every conversation about jobs and skills.
GVA per worker
Where labour produces the most value
| Industry | GVA (Rm) | Employment (000s) | Hours (m) | Compensation (Rm) | GVA / worker (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance, real estate and business services | — | — | — | — | R293 021 |
| Personal services | — | — | — | — | R184 463 |
| Wholesale, retail trade; catering and accommodation | — | — | — | — | R153 341 |
| Manufacturing | — | — | — | — | R135 681 |
| Transport, storage and communication | — | — | — | — | R97 495 |
| General government services | — | — | — | — | R94 038 |
| Mining and quarrying | — | — | — | — | R54 172 |
| Construction | — | — | — | — | R24 977 |
| Electricity, gas and water | — | — | — | — | R23 777 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | — | — | — | — | R15 641 |
model_productivity
Underlying records
| period | geo_code | industry_code | industry_label | gva_per_worker_R | hours_per_week | col6 | gva_per_hour_R | col8 | status | method | as_of | col12 | col13 | col14 | col15 | col16 | col17 | col18 | col19 | col20 | col21 | col22 | col23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P01 | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 15640.56 | 950.2 | — | 16460.3 | — | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P02 | Mining and quarrying | 54172.1 | 443.8 | 472 | 122064.2 | 114771.4 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P03 | Manufacturing | 135680.53 | 1548.5 | 1269 | 87620.6 | 106919.3 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P04 | Electricity, gas and water | 23777.32 | 133.6 | 164 | 177974 | 144983.7 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P05 | Construction | 24976.73 | 1424.5 | 1247 | 17533.7 | 20029.5 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P06 | Wholesale, retail trade; catering and accommodation | 153340.63 | 3325.7 | 3177 | 46107.8 | 48265.9 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P07 | Transport, storage and communication | 97494.81 | 1140.5 | 1198 | 85484.3 | 81381.3 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P08 | Finance, real estate and business services | 293020.61 | 2961.7 | 2515 | 98936.6 | 116509.2 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P09 | Personal services | 184463.1 | 5163.2 | 3058 | 35726.5 | 60321.5 | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025Q4 | ZA | P10 | General government services | 94037.62 | — | — | — | — | derived | P0441 Q4-2025 / QLFS Q4-2025 / QES Q4-2025 | 2026-04-24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |