South Africa's unemployment rate climbed to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021, up from 34.9% in the previous period. It was the highest jobless rate since comparable data began in 2008. The number of unemployed persons increased by 278 thousand to 7.9 million, employment rose by 262 thousand to 14.5 million and the labour force went up by 540 thousand to 22.5 million. Job losses were primarily observed in manufacturing (-85 thousand) and construction (-35 thousand). On the other hand, private households (+129 thousand), trade (+118 thousand) and community and social services (+73 thousand) reported job gains. The expanded definition of unemployment, including people who have stopped looking for work, was at 46.2%, down slightly from 46.6% in the third quarter. The youth unemployment rate, measuring job-seekers between 15 and 24 years old, was unchanged at a record high of 66.5%. source: Statistics South Africa

Unemployment Rate in South Africa averaged 26.45 percent from 2000 until 2021, reaching an all time high of 35.30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021 and a record low of 21.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. This page provides - South Africa Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. South Africa Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2022.

Unemployment Rate in South Africa is expected to be 35.80 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the South Africa Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 35.00 percent in 2023, according to our econometric models.

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South Africa Unemployment Rate



Calendar GMT Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2021-11-30 09:30 AM Q3 34.9% 34.4% 35.6%
2022-03-29 09:30 AM Q4 35.3% 34.9% 35.4%
2022-05-31 09:30 AM Q1 35.3%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Unemployment Rate 35.30 34.90 percent Dec 2021
Employed Persons 14544.13 14282.01 Dec 2021
Unemployed Persons 7900.00 7600.00 Thousand Dec 2021
Labor Force Participation Rate 56.30 55.20 percent Dec 2021
Wages 23982.00 24051.00 ZAR/Month Dec 2021
Wages in Manufacturing 21234.00 20600.00 ZAR/Month Dec 2021
Population 59.30 58.80 Million Dec 2020
Youth Unemployment Rate 66.50 66.50 percent Dec 2021
Employment Rate 36.50 35.93 percent Dec 2021

South Africa Unemployment Rate
In South Africa, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
35.30 34.90 35.30 21.50 2000 - 2021 percent Quarterly
SA

News Stream
South Africa Jobless Rate Hits Fresh Record High in Q4
South Africa's unemployment rate climbed to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021, up from 34.9% in the previous period. It was the highest jobless rate since comparable data began in 2008. The number of unemployed persons increased by 278 thousand to 7.9 million, employment rose by 262 thousand to 14.5 million and the labour force went up by 540 thousand to 22.5 million. Job losses were primarily observed in manufacturing (-85 thousand) and construction (-35 thousand). On the other hand, private households (+129 thousand), trade (+118 thousand) and community and social services (+73 thousand) reported job gains. The expanded definition of unemployment, including people who have stopped looking for work, was at 46.2%, down slightly from 46.6% in the third quarter. The youth unemployment rate, measuring job-seekers between 15 and 24 years old, was unchanged at a record high of 66.5%.
2022-03-29
South Africa Jobless Rate Hits New Record High in Q3
South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 34.9% in the third quarter of 2021, up from 34.4% in the previous period. It was the highest jobless rate since comparable data began in 2008, on the back of the July unrests and the still stringent lockdown. The number of unemployed persons fell by 183 thousand to 7.6 million, but employment slumped by 660 thousand to 14.2 million and the labour force plunged by 842 thousand to 21.9 million. Job losses were concentrated in the trade sector (-309 thousand), community and social services (-210 thousand), construction (-65 thousand), private households (-65 thousand) and mining (-54 thousand), while the finance sector posted the only increase (+138 thousand). The expanded definition of unemployment, including people who have stopped looking for work, was at 46.6%, up from 44.4% in the second quarter. The youth unemployment rate, measuring job-seekers between 15 and 24 years old, hit a new record high of 66.5%.
2021-11-30
South Africa Jobless Rate Hits New Record High in Q2
South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 34.4% in the second quarter of 2021 from 32.6% in the previous period. It was the highest jobless rate since comparable data began in 2008, amid the worsening pandemic crisis and also reflecting a week of deadly unrest and looting last month in parts of the country. The number of unemployed persons jumped by 584 thousand to 7.8 million, employment fell by 54 thousand to 14.9 million and the labour force went up by 530 thousand to 22.8 million. Job losses were concentrated in the financial sector (-278 thousand), followed by community and social services (-166 thousand) and manufacturing (-83 thousand). The expanded definition of unemployment, including people who have stopped looking for a work, was at 44.4%, up from 43.2% in the prior period. The youth unemployment rate, measuring job-seekers between 15 and 24 years old, hit a new record high of 64.4%.
2021-08-24