South Africa’s unemployment rate climbs to 32.9% in Q1 2025

Published 13/05/2025, 10:54
South Africa’s unemployment rate climbs to 32.9% in Q1 2025

Investing.com -- South Africa’s unemployment rate has increased to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, up from 31.9% in the final quarter of the previous year, according to data released by the country’s statistics agency on Tuesday.

The agency, Statistics South Africa, reported that the number of unemployed individuals rose to 8.228 million in the period from January to March, in comparison to 7.991 million in the period from October to December of the previous year.

The agency also provides an expanded definition of unemployment, which includes individuals who have become discouraged from seeking work. According to this definition, the unemployment rate rose to 43.1% from 41.9%.

In the first quarter of 2025, half of the ten industries monitored by Statistics South Africa recorded increases in employment, while the other half recorded decreases. The trade and construction sectors saw the highest job losses, while the transport and finance sectors added the most jobs.

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