South Africa Unemployment Rises 33.2 Percent Q2 2025

South Africa's official unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 32.9% the previous quarter, marking the third consecutive quarterly increase and the highest rate since mid-2024. The number of unemployed individuals grew by 140,000 to 8.4 million, while employment increased modestly by 19,000 to 16.8 million, leading to a 0.6% expansion in the labor force. Youth unemployment remains a significant challenge, with 4.9 million young people unemployed and the youth unemployment rate steady at 46.1%. Despite the rise in the official rate, the expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged job seekers, declined slightly to 42.9%. Employment gains were seen in sectors such as trade, private households, construction, and mining, whereas declines occurred in community and social services, agriculture, finance, transport, and informal sectors. The data release follows shortly after the implementation of a 30% U.S. tariff on South African goods, expected to impact jobs in agriculture, vehicle, and steel industries adversely.