Unemployment rises to 33.2% in second quarter
South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025 from
This was the third consecutive rise in unemployment since the final quarter of 2024, and the highest level since the second quarter of that year.
The number of employed people increased by 19 000 to 16.8 million, while that of unemployed people rose substantially by 140 000 to 8.4 million. The labour force, which is composed of people aged 15 to 64 who are actively seeking employment, increased by 159 000.
The labour force participation rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 60.2%, while the absorption rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 40.2% from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2025, according to the statistics agency.
The expanded
Employment increased in four of the 10 industries. Gains were observed in the formal sector (up by 34 000) and private households (up by 28 000), as well as in the construction sector (20 000) and mining industries (3 000).
The largest decreases in employment were recorded in community and social services (42 000), followed by the finance and agriculture (24 000 each) as well as transport (15 000) industries. Jobs in the informal sector also fell by 19 000 during the period.
The data comes days after the kicking in of a
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