---
title: "South Africa Added 101,000 Jobs in the Third Quarter"
canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/south-africa-unemployment-33-7-percent-q3-2026"
language: "en"
author: "drashtigarach"
published: "2026-11-11T14:38:27.000Z"
modified: "2026-11-11T14:38:27.000Z"
---

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# South Africa Added 101,000 Jobs in the Third Quarter, Yet Unemployment Rose to 33.7%

South Africa added 101,000 jobs in the third quarter, yet unemployment rose to 33.7% with 8.6 million jobless. See which sectors hired and where to find help.

[![Drashti Garach](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/5719d740-e510-42bc-8017-e040d145f35f_1766029465094.png)Drashti Garach @DrashtiGarach](/blog/author/drashtigarach)

[November 11, 2026](/blog/archive/2026/11)12 min read

![Line of jobseekers waiting along a sunny Johannesburg pavement under jacaranda trees, seen from far away](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/10838.jpg)

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South Africa's official unemployment rate [rose by 0.1 percentage point to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 33.6% in the second quarter](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter), even though the number of employed people [increased by 101,000 to 16.8 million](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/). The reason is simple arithmetic. The [labour force, meaning people who are employed or actively seeking work](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/), [grew by 198,000, or 0.8%](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/), so the number of unemployed people also [rose by 97,000 to 8.6 million](https://www.capetownetc.com/news/south-africas-unemployment-rate-climbs-to-33-7-as-joblessness-deepens/). That leaves [just over one in three participants without work](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/). The results come from the [Quarterly Labour Force Survey of Statistics South Africa](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter), released on Tuesday. For [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) readers in South Africa or hiring there, this guide covers which sectors and provinces added jobs, what happened to young people, what the wider unemployment measures show, and which free government tools can help with a search or a claim.

## What Did the Third-Quarter Labour Force Survey Show?

The headline numbers point in two directions, because employment and unemployment both rose in the same quarter. Stats SA labels the official unemployment rate [Labour Underutilisation (LU1)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter).

The quarter also saw a shift in who sits outside the labour force. People outside the labour force for other reasons [decreased by 150 000 to 12.4 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter), and everyone outside the labour force combined [decreased by 82 000 to 17.0 million in the third quarter of 2026](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter).

## How Can Jobs Rise While Unemployment Also Rises?

When more people start looking, the unemployment count can rise even in a quarter with job gains. That is what happened here, with the rate rising [as employment growth failed to keep pace with the expanding labour force](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/).

The previous quarter looked very different. In the second quarter of 2026, the number of unemployed people [increased by 345 000 to 8.5 million, while employed people decreased by 16 000 to 16.7 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336). That quarter pushed the official rate [from 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026 to 33.6% in the second quarter](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336). So the third quarter brought actual job growth after a quarter of losses, yet the [official unemployment rate still edged up](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/) by a small step.

> The main industries that contributed to the increase in employment were finance, manufacturing and mining, Dimakatso Maloka, Deputy Director of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, said, according to [the Cape Times report](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/).

## Which Sectors and Industries Added or Lost Jobs?

The formal economy carried the quarter. People employed in the formal sector [increased by 268 000 to 12.3 million in the third quarter of 2026](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). Losses elsewhere offset much of that gain, with [employment in the informal sector falling by 98,000, while the household sector lost 68,000 jobs](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/). The formal and informal sectors moved the other way in the second quarter, when formal and household employment [decreased by 41 000 and 9 000, respectively, and the informal sector increased by 34 000](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336).

By industry, the largest gains came in [Finance (111 000), Manufacturing (33 000) and Mining (31 000)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). The largest declines were in [Private households (68 000), Agriculture (34 000) and Construction (8 000)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). Finance recorded the largest increase, and the gains were [partly offset by losses in other industries](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/). Earlier mining news this year included the [De Beers halt at its flagship South African mine](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/de-beers-south-africa-mine-halt-mining-jobs-2026).

Manufacturing added jobs, but [production figures point to contrasting conditions in the industry](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/). Seasonally adjusted manufacturing activity [increased by 0.9% in the third quarter compared with the second quarter](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/), Nicolai Claassen, Director of Industry Statistics at Stats SA, said. For September alone, [manufacturing activity declined by 3.5% year on year, with six of the ten manufacturing divisions recording weaker production](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/). The automotive and wood, paper and publishing divisions [were the largest negative contributors to growth](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/) that month.

Higher oil and fuel prices were [increasing input, transportation and distribution costs for businesses](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/) during the quarter, economists at [Nedbank wrote before the release](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/).

## How Many Household and Domestic Jobs Were Lost?

Private households recorded [the largest industry job loss this quarter](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). Employment in private households [fell by 87,000 over the 12 months to September, a decline of 7.9%](https://iol.co.za/business/economy/2026-11-11-domestic-workers-bear-the-brunt-as-south-africas-household-employment-declines/).

Domestic workers [account for a significant part of the decline](https://iol.co.za/business/economy/2026-11-11-domestic-workers-bear-the-brunt-as-south-africas-household-employment-declines/). Their numbers [fell by 48,000 year-on-year, leaving approximately 800,000 employed in the third quarter](https://iol.co.za/business/economy/2026-11-11-domestic-workers-bear-the-brunt-as-south-africas-household-employment-declines/), a [5.6% decrease compared with the same period last year](https://iol.co.za/business/economy/2026-11-11-domestic-workers-bear-the-brunt-as-south-africas-household-employment-declines/). The survey records how many jobs changed but [does not establish why particular sectors are losing jobs](https://iol.co.za/business/economy/2026-11-11-domestic-workers-bear-the-brunt-as-south-africas-household-employment-declines/).

For domestic workers who still have jobs, the pay floor is set in law, and the latest increase [will benefit all workers, including vulnerable farm workers and domestic workers](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023). The National Minimum Wage rose from [R28.79 (about $1.74) to R30.23 (about $1.83) for each ordinary hour worked](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023). The new rate became binding on [the 1st of March 2026](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023). The minimum [cannot be varied by contract, collective agreement or law](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023). Workers on an expanded public works programme sit under a separate rate, rising from [R15.16 (about $0.92) per hour to a minimum wage of R16.62 (about $1.01) per hour](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023). The [full minimum wage rules, including who is covered and what counts as pay](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023), are set out in the government statement. One example of a negotiated raise above the floor is the [wage deal South Africa's Eskom workers won](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/eskom-wage-deal-7-percent-raise-salary-negotiation-lessons).

## Which Provinces Gained and Lost Jobs?

Job growth was uneven across the country. The largest provincial employment increases were in [the Western Cape (48 000), North West (45 000), Eastern Cape (36 000) and Gauteng (25 000)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). Employment [declined in the Free State (34 000) and Mpumalanga (30 000)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter).

This is close to a reversal of the second quarter. In that earlier quarter, the provinces with the highest increases were [Mpumalanga (41 000), Eastern Cape (13 000) and Free State (9 000)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336), while decreases were recorded in [Western Cape (48 000), Gauteng (22 000) and North West (15 000)](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336).

The Eastern Cape appears among the largest provincial employment increases in both the [second-quarter](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336) and [third-quarter](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter) results.

## What Happened to Youth Unemployment?

The youth rate improved by a small margin. The youth unemployment rate [decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 47.3%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). Youth in the survey means [people aged 15 to 34](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/). The number of unemployed youth [decreased by 23 000 to 5.0 million in the third quarter, while the number of employed youth fell by 5 000 to 5.5 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter).

That means the decline [did not reflect more young people finding work](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/). Fewer young people were counted as unemployed, and fewer young people were employed too. In the second quarter, by contrast, the youth rate had [increased by 1.5 percentage points to 47.4%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336), when unemployed youth rose by [264 000 to 5.0 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336).

Older numbers show how sharply the problem splits by age. For the third quarter of 2025, the Employment and Labour Minister cited a youth rate of [58.5% among those aged 15 to 24 years](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/78198). Her figure for the next age band was [38.4% among those aged 25 to 34 years](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/78198). Competition for [entry-level jobs is another challenge for people trying to enter the workforce](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/).

## What Do the Expanded and Broader Unemployment Rates Show?

The official rate leaves out people who want work but have stopped searching. Discouraged job-seekers [increased by 70 000 to 3.7 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter) in the third quarter. These are people [available for work who are not looking because they see little prospect of finding employment](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/), and they are [excluded from the official unemployment rate](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/).

Other groups moved only slightly. Other available job-seekers [decreased by 1 000 to 860 000](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter), and unavailable job-seekers stayed at [44 000](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). Together, those changes produced [a net increase of 69 000 in the potential labour force to 4.6 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter).

That is why the broader measures matter. The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force, known as LU3, [increased by 0.2 percentage points to 44.0%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). The combined rate of unemployment and time-related underemployment, LU2, [decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 36.5%](https://www.capetownetc.com/news/south-africas-unemployment-rate-climbs-to-33-7-as-joblessness-deepens/). The composite measure, LU4, [remained unchanged at 46.3%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). The second quarter showed a different picture for discouraged workers, when their number [decreased by 227 000 to 3.7 million](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336).

> Against this backdrop, firms may have adopted a more cautious approach to hiring, delaying expansion and recruitment plans, economists at Nedbank said before the release, according to [the Business Day preview](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/).

## How Does This Compare With a Year Ago and With Forecasts?

Twelve months earlier the picture was brighter. In the third quarter of 2025, the official rate [declined by 1.3 percentage points from 33.2% in the second quarter to 31.9%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/78198), with [248 000 more people employed](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/78198) that quarter. South Africa had [215,000 fewer employed people in the third quarter than it did a year earlier](https://iol.co.za/business/economy/2026-11-11-domestic-workers-bear-the-brunt-as-south-africas-household-employment-declines/).

[Two bank forecasts published before the release](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/) pointed in different directions. [Investec economist](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/) Lara Hodes [predicted a modest easing to 33% in third quarter unemployment](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/), and added that jobs growth [would be subdued for the rest of this year](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/). Nedbank economists expected that the survey [is likely to show a modest deterioration in the unemployment rate](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/). The [official rate rose rather than eased](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter), which matches the direction of the [modest deterioration Nedbank expected](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/) rather than the [modest easing Investec's Lara Hodes predicted](https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-11-09-economic-week-ahead-labour-force-survey-to-signal-continued-pressure-on-jobs-market/).

The [Department of Employment and Labour](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/employment-and-labour-quarterly-labour-force-survey-qlfs-2026-12-aug-2026) called the second-quarter survey [a sobering reality check demanding urgent, coordinated action](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/employment-and-labour-quarterly-labour-force-survey-qlfs-2026-12-aug-2026). It said [Operation Vulindlela, the Presidential Employment Stimulus](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/employment-and-labour-quarterly-labour-force-survey-qlfs-2026-12-aug-2026) and its suite of Active Labour Market Policies [must be supercharged, scaled up decisively](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/employment-and-labour-quarterly-labour-force-survey-qlfs-2026-12-aug-2026).

## Which Free Government Tools Can South African Job Seekers Use?

One free route for young people is SA Youth.mobi. Young people seeking workplace experience and on-the-job training [can register on the SA Youth.mobi recruitment platform to connect with potential employers](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254). Registration [is free, and the platform is zero-rated, meaning users can access the site and its contents without incurring data charges](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254). The platform was set up through [the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), with support from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, the Department of Employment and Labour](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254) and other partners, including [the National Youth Development Agency and the Development Bank of South Africa](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254).

The scale of the platform is large. More than [5.7 million young people are now registered on the SA Youth.mobi platform](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254), and more than [2 million young people have gained access to earning opportunities](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254), President Cyril Ramaphosa said in June. The revitalised National Youth Service had placed [more than 130 000 young people in paid service opportunities](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254) by then, with [an additional 100 000 community service youth employment opportunities](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254) available at that time.

Workers who lose a job should know how claims to the [Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) are now made](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform). The [UIF online platform, launched on 1 April 2025](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform), allows [direct client submissions, real-time tracking of claims and automated communication throughout the claims process](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform). It supports a self-service model, [removing the need for third-party agents to assist claimants with submissions](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform). The system processed and paid [4,558,971 claims](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform) by April 2026. The department's UIF Online awareness campaign included [guidance and support at Labour Centres](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform).

## What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The third quarter shows a job market that is adding work in the formal economy but not fast enough for the number of people looking. Formal-sector employment rose in one quarter, while the informal sector and private households shed jobs, and the number of [discouraged job-seekers increased](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter). For job seekers, that split is the key point. The growth this quarter came from formal employers, while more people joined the search for work.

- **Target the growing industries.** Finance, manufacturing and mining were [the main industries that contributed to the increase in employment](https://iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2026-11-11-unemployment-hits-337-as-37-million-south-africans-give-up-looking-for-work/).
- **Look at the provinces that added jobs.** The Western Cape, North West, Eastern Cape and Gauteng [recorded the largest provincial employment increases](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/) this quarter, after the Western Cape, Gauteng and North West [lost jobs in the second quarter](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-official-unemployment-rate-rises-336).
- **Register on SA Youth.mobi if you are young.** It is [free and zero-rated](https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/82254), so it costs no data to search placements and training.
- **Claim UIF through the online system if you lose work.** The [UIF online platform](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/meth-corrects-misinformation-regarding-uif-online-claims-platform) lets you track a claim in real time without going through a third-party agent.
- **Know the pay floor.** Check the [National Minimum Wage statement](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023) for the current hourly rate before you accept an offer.

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- [Osinowo Advocates for Collaborative Efforts to Tackle Unemployment in Nigeria](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/osinowo-youth-employment)

## People Also Asked

### Q: What is South Africa's third-quarter unemployment rate?

A: The official rate is [33.7%, up from 33.6% in the second quarter](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/), with 8.6 million people unemployed.

### Q: Why did unemployment rise if South Africa added jobs?

A: Employment grew by 101,000, but the labour force [grew by 198,000](https://mg.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-11-10-joblessness-rises-to-33-7/), so more people were looking for work than the new jobs could absorb.

### Q: What is South Africa's expanded unemployment rate?

A: The broader measure, LU3, which adds the potential labour force to the unemployed, [increased by 0.2 percentage points to 44.0%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unemployment-marginally-increases-third-quarter) in the third quarter of 2026.

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