SA Unemployment Rate Climbs to 33.6%

Should government declare a state of emergency over rising unemployment in South Africa?

Stats SA on Tuesday revealed that South Africa's official unemployment rate increased to 33.6%.

South Africa’s unemployment rate hits four-year high

South Africa’s unemployment rate climbed to its highest level since 2022 in the second quarter, official data showed. The figures highlight how improved investor confidence in the two years since the coalition government took office has been undercut by a deteriorating labor market.More than 340,000 people joined the ranks of the unemployed between April and June, pushing the total number of jobless to 8.5 million, an unemployment rate of 33.6%.…

Press statement: SA’s unemployment crisis needs bolder solutions

AIDC calls for a needs-based green industrialisation strategy to simultaneously overcome mass unemployment and climate change.Read more ›

South Africa: How One Food Stokvel Helps 45 North West Families Fight Hunger

[Health-e] Every month Mapiti Seleka puts aside her R370 unemployment grant, knowing that when food prices rise again, she will not have to face them alone.

33.6% Unemployment Leaves SA Asking Where The Jobs Went

South Africa’s latest jobs number has landed with the subtlety of a brick through a window. The official unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa. 345 000 more people joined the unemployed line, taking the total to about 8.5 million. SABC News quoted the same number through Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke, with its segment noting…

South African Unemployment Rate Jumps to Four-Year High of 33.6%

South Africa’s unemployment rate hit a four-year high in the second quarter, delivering a reminder of the nation’s need for faster economic growth amid geopolitical tension abroad and public anger back home.