South Africa’s official unemployment rate declined slightly to 31,4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa.
The data shows modest improvement in the national labour market, with employment increasing by 44,000 people, bringing the total number of employed South Africans to 17,1 million.
At the same time, the number of unemployed people dropped by 172,000 to 7,8 million, contributing to the small decrease in the unemployment rate from 31,9% in the previous quarter.
The Western Cape recorded the strongest employment growth among all provinces during the period, adding 93,000 jobs between October and December 2025. Job gains were also recorded in Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape, while Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape experienced employment losses.
Nationally, the biggest increases in employment were seen in the community and social services, construction, and finance sectors. However, job losses were recorded in trade, manufacturing and mining.
Industries that gained jobs (Q4 2025):
- Community and social services (+46,000)
- Construction (+35,000)
- Finance (+32,000)
Industries that lost jobs:
- Trade (-98,000)
- Manufacturing (-61,000)
- Mining (-5,000)
Despite the improvement in headline unemployment figures, challenges remain. The number of discouraged work-seekers, people who have stopped looking for work, increased significantly, pushing the potential labour force to 4,6 million people.
Youth unemployment also remains a major concern. While the number of unemployed young people declined slightly, fewer young people were employed overall, resulting in the youth unemployment rate rising marginally to 43,8%.
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey tracks labour market activity among South Africans aged 15 to 64 and remains the country’s official measure of employment and unemployment trends.
