JOHANNESBURG, Aug 11 – South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026 from 32.7% in the first quarter, highlighting continued weakness in the country’s labour market despite ongoing economic reforms.
Statistics South Africa reported that the number of unemployed people increased to 8.481 million between April and June, up from 8.137 million in the January-to-March period. The official unemployment rate has remained above 30% for more than five years, placing South Africa among the countries with the highest jobless rates globally.
Employment losses were widespread during the quarter, with seven of the 10 sectors monitored by Stats SA recording declines. Community and social services reported the largest reduction in employment, followed by mining, agriculture and manufacturing.
Several sectors recorded gains. Employment increased in trade, construction and finance, providing some support to the broader labour market but not enough to offset losses elsewhere in the economy.
The expanded unemployment rate, which includes people who want to work but are not actively seeking employment, also edged higher. It increased to 43.8% in the second quarter from 43.7% in the previous three months, indicating that a substantial share of South Africa’s potential workforce remains outside formal employment.
Young people and Black women continue to experience particularly high levels of unemployment. The persistence of elevated joblessness remains a major economic challenge for South Africa, where policymakers are seeking to increase investment, strengthen productive sectors and generate more employment alongside broader economic reforms.
The latest figures underline the difficulty of translating modest economic growth into sufficient job creation. With unemployment remaining above one-third of the official labour force, sustained employment growth will remain central to efforts to improve household incomes, reduce inequality and strengthen consumer demand.
