The recently released formal sector employment data by Statistics Botswana for September 2017 continue to show an overall decrease in the number of formally employed persons in Botswana. The total number of jobs lost between September 2016 and September 2017 was 2,588 across all sectors, resulting in a negative growth of 0.8%. The number of job lost in the private sector was 3,627, attributable to 35.2% and 2.7% negative job growth in Mining & Quarrying and Construction respectively during the same period. Government and parastatals had growth 0.5% and 1.9% of new jobs created between September 2016 and September 2017 respectively. The number of job losses in Mining & Quarrying reflects the impact of the closure of the BCL mine.