Second straight quarterly increase confirmed by Stats SA
The official unemployment rate has climbed again, and this time the jobless queue grew while the number of people in work shrank. Statistics South Africa reported that the official unemployment rate increased by 0.9 of a percentage point from 32.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026 to 33.6 percent in the second quarter.
There was an increase of 345,000 in the number of unemployed persons to 8.5 million, while the number of employed persons decreased by 16,000 to 16.7 million, resulting in an increase of 329,000 or 1.3 percent in the labour force.
The figures come from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of 2026, released by Stats SA on Tuesday 11 August under embargo until 11am.
The two movements together explain the jump. The labour force grew because more people started looking for work, but the economy did not create posts for them, and it lost some of the ones it had.
What 8.5 million unemployed means for households and job seekers
The headline rate understates the pressure on households. The combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force rose to 43.8 percent from 43.7 percent, while the broader measure of labour underutilisation stayed at 46.3 percent, meaning close to half of the extended labour force is not fully absorbed.
The labour force participation rate slipped to 59.6 percent, and the employment to population ratio edged lower to 39.6 percent, which means fewer than four in ten working age South Africans held a job in the quarter.
Young people carry the heaviest load. Stats SA reported that 36.4 percent of people aged between 15 and 24 were not in employment, education or training in the second quarter, up 1.2 percentage points from the same period last year.
Martlé Keyter, CEO of Operations at the Motor Industry Staff Association, said the numbers describe more than a statistic. “The rising unemployment rate is not just a statistic,” Keyter said, adding that it represents families under pressure and communities losing hope.
Where people live changed their odds. Cape Town shed 19,000 jobs over the quarter as employment fell from 1.863 million to 1.843 million, pushing the metro’s unemployment rate from 21.4 percent to 21.9 percent, still below the 23.3 percent recorded a year earlier. eThekwini added 30,000 jobs and recorded an unemployment rate of about 21.2 percent, while Gauteng lost 22,000 jobs and held an unemployment rate of 33.5 percent.
Where the jobs went: industries and provinces in the second quarter
Employment decreased in seven of the ten industries measured. The quarterly movements:
| Industry | Quarterly change | Year on year change |
|---|---|---|
| Community and social services | Down 57,000 | Down 101,000 |
| Mining | Down 26,000 | Up 16,000 |
| Agriculture | Down 15,000 | Up 39,000 |
| Manufacturing | Down 15,000 | Down 100,000 |
| Utilities | Down 10,000 | Down 36,000 |
| Trade | Up 70,000 | Up 74,000 |
| Construction | Up 39,000 | Up 94,000 |
| Finance | Up 11,000 | Down 33,000 |
Compared with the same period last year, total employment fell by a net 68,000.
By province, Mpumalanga added 41,000 jobs, the Eastern Cape 13,000 and the Free State 9,000, while the Western Cape lost 48,000, Gauteng 22,000 and North West 15,000. Formal sector employment fell by 41,000 and household sector employment by 9,000, while informal sector employment rose by 34,000.
One number in the survey moved in an unexpected direction. Discouraged job seekers decreased by 227,000 to 3.7 million, which reflects people re-entering the search for work rather than an improvement in job availability, since employment itself declined.
What the parties want and when the next figures land
The release drew immediate political demands. The Democratic Alliance said the jobs crisis was worsening and that economic reforms were moving too slowly, arguing that South Africa lacks urgency rather than economic potential. ActionSA called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to replace the ministers responsible for employment, economic growth, trade, industry and small business development, and said manufacturing’s contraction should be treated as a national emergency.
The Congress of the People called for unemployment to be declared a national disaster. COPE acting national chairperson Pakes Dikgetsi said the country needs a National Jobs Disaster Programme rather than another jobs announcement. Cosatu called for a bold and aggressive stimulus package and said it would seek urgent engagement with government and business through Nedlac.
Several things remain unconfirmed. Stats SA’s release does not attribute the increase to any single cause, no government stimulus package has been announced in response, and it is not established whether the quarterly gains in trade and construction will hold into the third quarter.
The next fixed markers are Stats SA’s second quarter GDP release in early September, the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting in September, and the third quarter Quarterly Labour Force Survey, due in November.
