The country’s unemployment rate has increased by 1.0% in the Q1 of 2025. This is an uptick from 31.9% to 32.9%.
Statistics South Africa released the latest figures this morning.
To put this into context, nearly a quarter million South Africans lost their jobs between January and March this year (237 000). This brings the current number of unemployed citizens to 8.228 million.
Following the release of the statistics, the City of Cape Town has confirmed it has observed growth as 86,000 jobs have been added in the metro over the past year, reaching a record 1.827 million people employed.
The City also maintains the lowest expanded unemployment rate among metros. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said a record R39.7 billion infrastructure investment is planned, which aims to create an additional 130,000 more jobs over a three-year period.
“We are so encouraged by the news that over 86 000 new jobs have been created over the last year, and that employment in our city have now reached record high levels. Despite the national decline in employment, Cape Town continues to be the place where the prospect of finding a job shine brighter than anywhere else in South Africa,” said Hill-Lewis.
