The South Africa unemployment rate climbed to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 32.9% in Q1, with 8.4 million people officially unemployed, according to Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
Youth and Women Hit Hardest
Meanwhile, young people remain most affected: the unemployment rate among 15–34-year-olds stands at 46.1%. Moreover, women face higher joblessness than men, 35.9% versus 31%, highlighting a persistent inclusion gap in the labour market. This highlights the differential impact of the unemployment rate in South Africa on various demographics.
Provincial Disparities
Across provinces, conditions differ sharply. North West recorded the highest official unemployment rate at 40.1%, followed by the Eastern Cape at 39.5%, while the Western Cape posted the lowest rate at 21.1%. Consequently, geography still shapes access to work and opportunity in the realm of South Africa’s unemployment landscape.
What the Numbers Include
Crucially, the “expanded” measure, covering discouraged jobseekers and people available for work but not actively searching, sits at 42.9%, or about 12.6 million people. Furthermore, the survey notes 3.4 million discouraged workseekers and a further 800,000 people who were available to work but cited other reasons for not job-hunting. Together, these figures underline how headline unemployment masks deeper detachment from the South African labour market.
Where Jobs Were Lost and Gained
In sector terms, trade added 88,000 jobs in the quarter, while private households and construction gained 28,000 and 20,000 respectively. By contrast, community and social services shed 42,000 jobs, with agriculture and finance each losing 24,000. Additionally, Stats SA reported a modest net increase of 19,000 in total employment, still too little to absorb new and returning entrants.
Therefore, even as some sectors grow, the labour market remains under pressure. To improve participation and absorption, especially for first-time entrants, policy and business will need to translate growth into hiring at scale. As things stand, the high South Africa unemployment rate signals an urgent need for durable job creation, while better transport, skills pathways, and localised investment could narrow the provincial divide.
