The official unemployment rate was 33,7% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2026.
There was an increase of 101 000 in the number of employed persons to 16,8-million, and the number of unemployed persons also increased by 97 000 to 8,6-million compared with the second quarter of 2026.
This resulted in an increase of 198 000 (or 0,8%) in the labour force during the same period.
These changes resulted in the official unemployment rate increasing by 0,1 of a percentage point from 33,6% in the second quarter of 2026 to 33,7% in the third quarter of 2026.
Discouraged job-seekers increased by 70 000 to 3,7-million, other available job-seekers decreased by 1 000 to 860 000, and unavailable job-seekers remained the same at 44 000, resulting in a net increase of 69 000 to 4,6-million in the potential labour force.
Those outside the labour force for other reasons decreased by 150 000 to 12,4-million.
Persons outside the labour force, which is the total of those in potential labour force and others outside the labour force, decreased by 82 000 to 17-million in the third quarter of 2026.
In addition to the unemployment rate (LU1), other indicators of labour underutilisation (LU) were measured. The combined rate of unemployment and time-related underemployment (LU2) decreased by 0,1 of a percentage point to 36,5%, while the combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force (LU3) increased by 0,2 of a percentage point to 44%.
The composite measure of labour underutilisation (LU4) (which combines time-related underemployment, unemployment and potential labour force as a proportion of extended labour force) remained unchanged at 46,3% in the third quarter of 2026.
These labour underutilisation measures highlight persons in different situations with different degrees of attachment to the labour market.
Persons employed in the formal sector increased by 268 000 to 12,3-million in the third quarter of 2026. The informal sector and household sector both decreased by 98 000 and 68 000, respectively over the same period. Increases in industry employment were mainly recorded in Finance (111 000), Manufacturing (33 000) and Mining (31 000).
The largest decreases in employment were recorded in Private households (68 000), Agriculture (34 000) and Construction (8 000).
Western Cape (48 000), North West (45 000), Eastern Cape (36 000) and Gauteng (25 000) were provinces that observed the highest increases in employment. Decreases in employment were recorded in Free State (34 000) and Mpumalanga (30 000). Results for the third quarter of 2026 show that the total number of unemployed youth (15-34 years) decreased by 23 000 to 5-million compared with the second quarter of 2026, while employed youth recorded a decrease of 5 000 to 5,5-million. As a result, the youth unemployment rate decreased by 0,1 of a percentage point to 47,3% in the third quarter of 2026. Issued by Statistics South Africa.