South Africa’s official unemployment rate has increased to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026, with approximately 8.6 million people unemployed, according to the latest figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey, published on Tuesday, 10 November, shows that the unemployment rate increased slightly from 33.6% recorded in the second quarter.
Despite 101,000 additional people finding employment during the quarter, bringing the total number of employed people to 16.8 million, the number of unemployed people also increased by 97,000.
Stats SA attributed the increase to the labour force expanding by 198,000 people, meaning more people were either employed or actively seeking work.
The survey further revealed that the number of discouraged job-seekers increased by 70,000 to 3.7 million. These are people who are available for work but have stopped actively looking for employment.
Youth unemployment remains a major concern, although the rate among people aged 15 to 34 declined marginally by 0.1 percentage point to 47.3%. Approximately five million young people in this age group were unemployed.
The broader measure of labour underutilisation, which includes unemployment, people working fewer hours than they would like and those available for work but not actively seeking it, remained at 46.3%.
The latest figures highlight the continued pressure on South Africa’s labour market, with employment growth failing to keep pace with the number of people entering or returning to the labour force.
