South Africa's unemployment rate rises in first quarter

PRETORIA - South Africa's 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 with 7.836 million in October-December.

• The official jobless rate has been above 30% for more than five years and is among the highest in the world.

• The coalition government formed in 2024 has struggled to meaningfully boost job creation, despite investor optimism about reforms and a modest pickup in economic growth.

• Job losses were broad-based in the first three months of this year, with only three out of 10 sectors tracked by Stats SA recording job gains.

• The community and social services sector had the biggest number of job losses in the first quarter of 2026.

• Manufacturing, mining and agriculture saw employment increases.

• An expanded definition of unemployment rose to 43.7% in the first quarter from 42.1% previously.

• Young people and Black women remain especially vulnerable to unemployment in South Africa.

(Additional reporting by Anathi Madubela; Editing Alexander Winning and Hugh Lawson)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 2:30 AM.