Thokozile Mnguni
Unemployment rose to 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026, as job losses deepened and youth unemployment continued to deteriorate, according to Statistics South Africa.
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), released by Statistics South Africa today, shows the official unemployment rate increased by 1.3 percentage points from 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Employment fell sharply during the quarter, with 345 000 fewer people in work, bringing total employment down to 16.8 million. At the same time, unemployment rose by 301 000 to 8.1 million. The labour force contracted slightly by 44 000, or 0.2%.
Job losses were recorded across both the formal and informal sectors. Formal employment dropped by 189 000, while the informal sector shed 127 000 jobs.
Youth unemployment remained under pressure. The number of unemployed young people rose by 181 000 to 4.7 million, while youth employment fell by 258 000 to 5.6 million. This pushed the youth unemployment rate up by 2.0 percentage points to 45.8%.
Some sectors posted gains despite the broader downturn. Manufacturing added 38 000 jobs, mining gained 32 000, and agriculture increased employment by 10 000.
However, these gains were outweighed by losses in key industries. Community and social services shed 206 000 jobs, construction lost 110 000, and transport declined by 30 000.
At provincial level, KwaZulu-Natal was the only province to record employment growth, adding 6 000 jobs. The largest declines were in North West (80 000), Gauteng (67 000), Mpumalanga (54 000), and both the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, which each lost 43 000 jobs.
The survey also highlights rising labour market distress. Discouraged work-seekers increased by 178 000 to 3.9 million, while active job-seekers rose by 55 000 to 910 000. Those classified as unavailable job-seekers edged up by 6 000 to 49 000.
As a result, the potential labour force expanded by 240 000 to 4.9 million.
Meanwhile, the number of people outside the labour force for other reasons fell by 75 000 to 12.4 million. Overall, those outside the labour force increased by 164 000 to 17.3 million in the first quarter of 2026.