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Unemployment continues to climb in South Africa, a reflection of a stagnant economy with a growing population that cannot find employment. According to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), the unemployment rate rose to 33.2 percent in the second quarter of 2025.
StatsSA released its Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) report on Tuesday, 12 August 2025, covering April to June 2025; the results are rather sobering. Even though the number of people employed increased, it is only a fraction of the number of the people who were unemployed in the second quarter.
According to the report, the number of employed persons increased by 19 000 to 16,8 million in Q2: 2025, and the number of unemployed persons increased by 140 000 to 8,4 million compared with Q1: 2025, resulting in an increase of 159 000 (up by 0,6%) in the labour force.
The Labour market in South Africa is proving to be volatile with more people getting frustrated, the natives fighting for employment with foreign nationals, especially in sectors where specialised skills are not required.
The second quarter saw an increase in unemployment of 0.3% to 33.2%; a bad reflection on the performance of the economy. Six of the provinces have recorded an increase in employment, a step in the right direction but more needs to be done to address the stubbornly high unemployment rate.
Employment gains were recorded in Gauteng (95 000), Eastern Cape (89 000), Limpopo (27 000), North West (16 000), Free State (12 000) and Mpumalanga (11 000). Employment decreases were recorded in Western Cape (117 000), KwaZulu-Natal (86 000) and Northern Cape (28 000) during the same period.
Compared with Q2: 2024, the largest increases in employment were recorded in Eastern Cape (93 000), Gauteng (83 000) and Western Cape (69 000). North West was the province that recorded the lowest increase in employment with 8 000 during the same period. The decreases in employment were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (140 000) and Limpopo (11 000) while Northern Cape remained unchanged.
