South Africa’s Unemployment Crisis Deepens as 8.6 Million People Remain Jobless

South Africa’s unemployment crisis is showing little sign of improvement, with the latest figures revealing that millions of people remain without work as the country struggles to create enough jobs.

According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on 10 November 2026, the official unemployment rate increased to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 33.6% in the previous quarter.

The figures highlight the scale of the country’s employment challenge, with approximately 8.6 million people unemployed between July and September 2026.

Stats SA reported that the number of unemployed people increased by 97,000 during the third quarter.

Although the number of employed people also increased by 101,000 to 16.8 million, employment growth was not enough to prevent the unemployment rate from rising.

The country’s labour force expanded by 198,000 people during the period, meaning more people entered or remained in the job market than the number of additional jobs created.

This highlights the difficulty South Africa faces in absorbing its growing labour force.

Another worrying trend is the number of discouraged job seekers.

Stats SA reported that the number of discouraged work seekers increased by 70,000 to 3.7 million during the third quarter.

These are people who are available for work but have stopped actively looking for employment, often because they believe there are no suitable opportunities.

When discouraged job seekers are included, South Africa’s broader unemployment measure rises to 44%.

The composite measure of labour underutilisation, which also accounts for people working fewer hours than they want, remained extremely high at 46.3%.

The latest figures show that employment growth has been uneven across South Africa’s economy.

The finance industry recorded the biggest employment increase, adding 111,000 jobs. Manufacturing added 33,000 jobs, while mining contributed another 31,000.

However, several sectors experienced employment losses.

Private households lost 68,000 jobs, agriculture shed 34,000 and construction recorded a decline of 8,000.

The formal sector performed better, adding 268,000 jobs to reach 12.3 million employed people. Meanwhile, the informal sector lost 98,000 jobs.

Young South Africans continue to face significant barriers to finding employment.

The number of unemployed people aged between 15 and 34 declined by 23,000 to 5 million in the third quarter.

However, youth unemployment remained extremely high at 47.3%.

This means almost one in every two economically active young South Africans in this age group is unemployed.

The figures underline the need for stronger economic growth, investment and job creation to provide opportunities for millions of people struggling to enter the labour market.

South Africa may have recorded some employment gains, but the latest statistics show that the country remains far from solving its unemployment crisis.

Sources: South Africa’s unemployment crisis getting worse by the day – Daily Investor

LPNDiscovery feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com