According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q1 2025, South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 32.9%, up by 1.0 percentage point from 31.9% in Q4 2024.
The number of employed persons declined by 291,000, from 17.1 million in Q4 2024 to 16.8 million in Q1 2025. Simultaneously, the number of unemployed persons increased by 237,000, reaching 8.2 million.
This led to a net decrease of 54,000 people in the labour force-a 0.2% decline.
The not economically active population increased by 184,000 to 16.7 million. This rise includes:
- A 7,000 (0.2%) increase in discouraged work-seekers.
- A 177,000 (1.4%) increase in individuals not economically active for reasons other than discouragement.
The expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged job seekers, rose from 41.9% in Q4 2024 to 43.1% in Q1 2025—an increase of 1.2 percentage points.
Sectoral and Provincial Employment Changes
Employment in the formal sector fell by 245,000, while the informal sector saw a modest increase of 17,000 jobs.
Industries with employment gains included:
- Transport: +67,000
- Finance: +60,000
- Utilities: +35,000
Industries with job losses included:
- Trade: –194,000
- Construction: –119,000
- Private Households: –68,000
- Community and Social Services: –45,000
- Mining: –35,000
Provincial employment trends showed increases in:
- Western Cape: +49,000
- Gauteng: +9,000
- Free State: +4,000
While declines were recorded in:
- KwaZulu-Natal: –104,000
- Eastern Cape: –83,000
- North West: –57,000
- Limpopo: –55,000
- Mpumalanga: –43,000
- Northern Cape: –12,000
Youth Employment
Young people (ages 15–34) remain especially vulnerable. In Q1 2025:
- Youth unemployment rose by 151,000, reaching 4.8 million.
- Youth employment declined by 153,000, to 5.7 million.
- The youth unemployment rate increased from 44.6% in Q4 2024 to 46.1%.
