South Africa’s unemployment rate has increased to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026, up slightly from 33.6% recorded in the previous quarter.
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Tuesday, the number of employed people increased by 101,000 to 16.8 million.
However, the number of unemployed people also rose by 97,000, bringing the total to approximately 8.6 million.
Dimakatso Maloka, Deputy Director of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey at Stats SA, said the finance, manufacturing and mining industries were among the main contributors to employment growth.
Despite the increase in employment, the latest figures highlight the continued challenges facing the country's labour market, with more than eight million people still without jobs.