South Africa’s unemployment rate climbs to 32.7% as 345,000 jobs lost in first quarter of 2026
South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 31.4% in the final quarter of 2025, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Stats SA.
The economy lost 345,000 jobs during the three months, reducing the number of employed people to 16.8 million. At the same time, the number of unemployed South Africans increased by 301,000 to 8.1 million.
Youth unemployment continued to worsen, with the unemployment rate among people aged 15 to 34 rising to 45.8%. The number of unemployed youth increased by 181,000 to 4.7 million, while employment among young people declined by 258,000 to 5.6 million.
Stats SA Deputy Director for Labour Statistics Kwena Marevhula said the figures point to deteriorating labour market conditions.
