Using data extracted from the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the Spatial Economic Activity Data South Africa (SEAD-SA) allows us to examine economic activity in Cape Town. The data include full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, which is analogous to employment or jobs, and establishments. What does the data tell us?
According to the data, total employment in Cape Town has increased by 28% since 2014.
Looking at a map of Cape Town, there has been a general increase in employment across the city, with larger increases in CBD and Brackenfell.
Most jobs in located East-West along the N1, and South around the N3 and N5. There are areas of employment Atlantis, Century City, and Somerset West.
There has been a notable increase in the number of establishment in Century City, Claremont and Durbanville.
The distribution of firms reflects the distribution of employment, largely following the same spatial pattern.
Note on the data:
The dataset used is from the Spatial Tax Panel published by SEAD-SA. The data reflect the tax year, where 2024 covers the period March 2023 to February 2024. The figures that represent employment or jobs is published as full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. The dataset has a number of limitations, such as the possibility of human error when returns are submitted to SARS, which could include location. The spatialised component of the data are estimates based on postal codes, which is of limited accuracy. As some establishments list employees as working at their head offices—rather than branches—, there is a 'head office effect' that creates large spikes in employment in specific hexagons. Lastly, the data do not capture any informal employment, as this is not reported to SARS.