Unemployment in South Africa currently stands at 32,1%, says Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) with the release of the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the third quarter of 2024. This is a decrease from the second quarter which saw an unemployment rate of 33,5%.
A statement released read:
According to the QLFS Q3: 2024 results, there was an increase of 294 000 in the number of employed persons to 16,9 million in Q3: 2024, while there was a decrease of 373 000 in the number of unemployed persons to 8,0 million. This resulted in a decrease of 79 000 (down by 0,3%) in the labour force during the same period.
The number of South Africans employed stands at 16.9 million while the number of unemployed individuals in the country comes to 8 million.
StatsSA also revealed that the number of discouraged work-seekers, which are individuals who can work but aren't looking for work, increased by 160 000. The number of persons who were not economically active for reasons other than discouragement increased by 54 000.
"This led to an increase of 214 000 in the number of the not economically active population to 16,5 million," said Stats SA.
The expanded unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2024 decreased by 0,7 of a percentage point to 41,9% when compared with the second quarter of 2024.
Provincial Employment Figures
- Eastern Cape: Increased by 83 000
- Western Cape: Increased by 75 000
- North West: Increased by 69 000
- Mpumalanga: Increased by 49 000
- Gauteng: Decreased by 66 000
- Kwa-Zulu Natal: Decreased by 2 000
The formal sector saw more people join and gain employment with an increase of 122 000 people and the informal sector grew by 165 000 people.
Industries which saw the highest increases included Community and Social Services, Construction, and Trade. The Finance, Private households, Manufacturing and Transport industries recorded a decrease in employment.
A major concern when it comes to employment in South Africa is the high unemployment rate seen amongst youth. StatsSA said:
The youth (15 to 34 years) remain vulnerable in the labour market.
However, it was found that in the third quarter, 66 000 youth became employed as youth unemployment in the country decreased by 171 000 to 4.8 million. The youth unemployment rate in the country stands at 45,5%.
