JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's official unemployment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 33.2 percent in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, the national statistics agency said on Tuesday.
The number of unemployed rose by 140,000 to 8.4 million in Q2, while the labor force expanded by 159,000 over the same period, according to the Quarterly Labor Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital.
Statistician General Risenga Maluleke noted that unemployment rose in six out of the country's nine provinces in Q2, with the graduate unemployment rate edging up to 12.2 percent from 11.7 percent in Q1.
Sectors recording employment gains included trade, private households, and construction, while community and social services, agriculture, finance, transport, utilities, and manufacturing posted losses, Maluleke added.
South African analyst Sandile Swana told Xinhua in a telephone interview that the country's employment is "constrained by gross fixed capital formation," highlighting the need to address infrastructure maintenance and expansion.
"Tackling the backlog in infrastructure and maintenance is crucial. Investment in these areas delivers immediate economic returns," he said.
Unemployment remains a pressing issue in South Africa. The trade department has warned that the United States' recent imposition of a 30-percent tariff on South African goods could cost more than 30,000 jobs.
