South Africa’s official unemployment rate edged down in the fourth quarter of 2025, dropping to 31.4% from 31.9% in the previous three months the lowest level the country has seen in more than five years.
According to the Quarterly Labor Force Survey published on 17 February 2026, employment in South Africa increased modestly, with about 44,000 more people finding work, while the number of unemployed persons declined by roughly 172,000 compared with the third quarter of 2025. The total number of employed people rose to around 17.1 million, and those actively looking for work fell to about 7.8 million, contributing to the slight improvement in the jobless rate.
Government officials welcomed the data as a sign of economic resilience and the impact of targeted measures to stimulate growth and job creation, including infrastructure investments and employment programmes designed to benefit young people and women. However, analysts note that while the decrease offers some encouragement, South Africa’s unemployment remains among the highest in the world, and structural challenges such as high youth unemployment and uneven job growth across sectors persist.
The modest improvement comes amid broader efforts to strengthen the labor market and attract investment, but many experts say sustained growth and deeper reforms are needed to meaningfully reduce joblessness over the long term.