South Africa’s unemployment rate rose for the second consecutive quarter, underscoring one of the toughest challenges facing the coalition government formed after the African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in 2024.
Official data released Tuesday showed unemployment at 33.2% in April–June, up from 32.9% in the previous quarter — among the highest rates in the world. The number of unemployed reached 8.37 million, Statistics South Africa said.
The expanded definition of unemployment, which includes those discouraged from looking for work, saw a slight decline. But job losses were recorded in six of the 10 tracked industries, with the steepest declines in community and social services, agriculture, and finance.
The statistics agency’s head, Risenga Maluleke, said it was too early to determine whether last week’s 30% U.S. tariff on South African exports — the highest in sub-Saharan Africa — was influencing employment trends. He rejected claims by a former Capitec Bank chief that informal work was being undercounted, insisting such data had always been measured and published.
Labour statistics chief Desiree Manamela said upcoming changes to how unemployment data is collected would not significantly alter the official rate but would provide new indicators of economic health.