Employment growth in South Africa slowed to 2.3 percent last year from a 3.5 percent growth rate in 2006, mirroring sluggish economic growth, a new report showed on Tuesday.

The 7th annual Employment Report, commissioned by trade union UASA and compiled by economist Mike Schussler, forecast that jobs growth would slow further this year to around 1.5 percent

"We are having difficulty due to the impact of higher interest rates and the electricity crisis – but the impact is difficult to quantify," Schussler said.

The forecast is not good news for South Africa's ambitious goal of slashing the unemployment rate by half from 25.5 percent in 2014.

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