In South Africa, employed persons refer to the number of people employed by the business, who received payment (in salaries; wages; commission, in addition to a retainer, salary or wage; piece rates; or payments in kind) for any part of the reference period. This excludes independent contractors and consultants; working proprietors; sole and joint owners; and employees paid on a commission basis where a retainer, salary or wage was not paid. Number of employees refers to the number of people employed at the end of the reference period.