South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 33.6% in the second quarter, according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS).
The results show that the number of employed people increased by 101 000 to 16.8 million, while the number of unemployed people rose by 97 000 to 8.6 million compared with the second quarter.
“This resulted in an increase of 198 000 (or 0,8%) in the labour force during the same period. The above changes in employment and unemployment resulted in the official unemployment rate (Labour Underutilisation (LU1)) increasing by 0.1 percentage point from 33,6% in the second quarter of 2026 to 33,7% in the third quarter of 2026,” Statistics South Africa said on Tuesday.
Discouraged job-seekers increased by 70 000 to 3.7 million, while other available job-seekers decreased by 1 000 to 860 000. The number of unavailable job-seekers remained unchanged at 44 000. These changes resulted in a net increase of 69 000 in the potential labour force to 4.6 million. This group comprises people who are available for work but are not seeking it, or who are seeking work but are unavailable.
“Those outside the labour force for other reasons decreased by 150 000 to 12.4 million. Persons outside the labour force, which is the total of those in the potential labour force and others outside the labour force, decreased by 82 000 to 17.0 million in the third quarter of 2026,” Stats SA said.
The survey also measured other indicators of labour underutilisation alongside the official unemployment rate (LU1).
The combined rate of unemployment and time-related underemployment (LU2) decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 36.5%, while the combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force (LU3) increased by 0.2 percentage points to 44.0%.
The composite measure of labour underutilisation (LU4) remained unchanged at 46.3% in the third quarter. This measure combines time-related underemployment, unemployment and the potential labour force as a proportion of the extended labour force.
Together, these measures reflect different degrees of attachment to the labour market.
“Persons employed in the formal sector increased by 268 000 to 12.3 million in the third quarter of 2026. The informal sector and household sector both decreased by 98 000 and 68 000, respectively, over the same period.
“Increases in industry employment were mainly recorded in Finance (111 000), Manufacturing (33 000) and Mining (31 000). The largest decreases in employment were recorded in Private households (68 000), Agriculture (34 000) and Construction (8 000),” Stats SA said.
Provincially, the largest employment increases were recorded in the Western Cape (48 000), North West (45 000), Eastern Cape (36 000) and Gauteng (25 000). Employment declined in the Free State (34 000) and Mpumalanga (30 000).
The number of unemployed youth aged 15–34 decreased by 23 000 to 5.0 million in the third quarter, while the number of employed youth fell by 5 000 to 5.5 million compared with the second quarter. The youth unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 47.3%. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.
