National

South Africa's official unemployment rate rises to 32.7% in first quarter

By Reuters Reuters
Job seekers wait beside a road for casual work offered by passing motorists in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, South Africa, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Job seekers wait beside a road for casual work offered by passing motorists in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, South Africa, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Siphiwe Sibeko Reuters

PRETORIA - South Africa's official unemployment rate rose to 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026 from 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, data from the statistics agency showed on Tuesday.

Statistics South Africa said the number of unemployed people increased to 8.137 million in January-March, compared to 7.836 million in October-December.

(Reporting by Kopano Gumbi;Writing by Anathi Madubela;Editing Alexander Winning)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 2:04 AM.

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