JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's official unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage points to 31.4 percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, the national statistics agency said on Tuesday.
According to the Quarterly Labor Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the number of employed persons rose by 44,000 to 17.1 million in Q4, while the number of unemployed declined by 172,000 to 7.8 million compared with the previous quarter. The labor force decreased by 128,000 over the same period.
"Youth aged 15 to 34 remained vulnerable in the labor market. In Q4, the number of unemployed youth declined by 84,000 to 4.6 million quarter on quarter, while employed youth decreased by 113,000 to 5.8 million," Stats SA said.
Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke said the Eastern Cape recorded the highest unemployment rate at 42.5 percent, followed by the Free State at 37.2 percent and the North West at 35.1 percent. The Western Cape had the lowest rate at 18.1 percent.
"Looking at the time series, unemployment peaked at 33.2 percent in the second quarter of 2025. It declined to 31.9 percent in the third quarter and now stands at 31.4 percent in the fourth quarter," Maluleke said.
According to the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the improvement in employment reflects the resilience of the South African economy and the impact of targeted interventions aimed at stimulating growth, supporting businesses, and expanding labor market opportunities.
The GCIS added that the government has intensified efforts to boost job creation through accelerated infrastructure investment across key sectors of the economy.
