JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 10 — South Africa’s official unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 33.7 percent in the third quarter (Q3) of 2026, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Tuesday.
The latest Quarterly Labor Force Survey showed the number of unemployed people rose by 97,000 to 8.6 million during the quarter, while the number of employed people increased by 101,000 to 16.8 million.
The country’s labor force, comprising employed people and those who are unemployed and actively seeking work, expanded by 198,000 during the period, Stats SA said. Employment gains were mainly recorded in finance, manufacturing and mining sectors, while private households, agriculture, and construction reported job losses.
Formal-sector employment increased by 268,000 to 12.3 million in Q3, while the informal sector and household sector both decreased by 98,000 and 68,000, respectively, over the same period, the survey said. Unemployment remains a pressing issue in South Africa.
Data from Stats SA also showed that the number of discouraged work-seekers, who have stopped actively looking for employment, increased by 70,000 to 3.7 million.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
