South Africa’s official unemployment rate increased from 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026 to 33.7% in the third quarter, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, which was released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday. This brings the official number of unemployed South Africans to 8.6 million.

However, this figure excludes discouraged jobseekers and others who are not actively looking for work. When these groups are included, the broader unemployment rate rises to roughly 44.0%.

Over the same period, the economy added 101 000 jobs, bringing total employment to 16.8 million.

The number of people in the labour force increased by 198 000, almost twice the number of additional jobs recorded, pushing unemployment higher.

The youth unemployment rate declined marginally from 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026 to 47.3% in the third quarter, leaving five million young South Africans aged 15 to 34 unemployed.

The breakdown of employment changes across the economy shows gains in the formal sector but losses in informal employment and private households.

The industries recording the largest employment gains were:

• •Finance, which added 111 000 jobs;
• •Manufacturing, which added 33 000 jobs; and
• •Mining, which added 31 000 jobs.

The largest employment losses were recorded in:

• •Private households, which lost 68 000 jobs;
• •Agriculture, which lost 34 000 jobs; and
• •Construction, which lost 8 000 jobs.