One in three South Africans cannot find work

• Approximately one in every three working-age South Africans seeking work now finds themselves unable to secure long-term employment, with an official unemployment rate of 33.6% for the second quarter of 2026.
• The unemployment rate in South Africa has increased by 0.9 percentage points over the second quarter of 2026, with the community and social services sector being the biggest contributor to the rising unemployment, losing 57,000 jobs.
• The rising unemployment rate has raised concerns about the country's economy, with experts warning of a 'rolling backward scenario' where consumption-based sectors and informal work increase, but formal employment and industrial output decline, shrinking the tax base and lowering average pay and productivity.