South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, from 32.7% in the first quarter, highlighting the economy’s continued struggle to convert modest growth into jobs.
The number of unemployed people increased by 345,000 to 8.5 million, while employment declined by 16,000 to 16.7 million compared with the first quarter of 2026, according to data from Statistics South Africa cited by the South African Government News Agency. The labour force increased by 329,000, or 1.3%, over the same period.
The official unemployment rate rose by 0.9 percentage point to 33.6% in the second quarter, from 32.7% in the first quarter, as job losses in key industries outweighed gains in trade, construction and finance, Statistics South Africa said.
Trade recorded the largest increase in employment at 70,000, followed by construction with 39,000 and finance with 11,000. These gains were offset by losses of 57,000 jobs in community and social services, 26,000 in mining, and 15,000 each in agriculture and manufacturing.
Employment in the formal sector fell by 41,000, while household-sector employment declined by 9,000. Informal-sector employment, however, increased by 34,000, pointing to continued pressure on workers to find opportunities outside the formal economy.
The deterioration was particularly pronounced among young people. The number of unemployed people aged 15 to 34 increased by 264,000 to 5 million, while youth employment fell by 40,000 to 5.6 million. The youth unemployment rate consequently rose by 1.5 percentage points to 47.4%.
Rising unemployment is also fuelling xenophobic tensions, with anti-immigrant protests disrupting businesses and affecting sectors including construction, farming, retail and transport.
Creating jobs while maintaining a stable environment for local and foreign businesses will be critical to preventing economic pressures from worsening social tensions.
