South Africa’s (SA) youth continue to face challenges in the labour market, with Statistics SA (StatsSA) reporting that youth unemployment edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 43.8% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
At the same time, the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey indicates a modest improvement in the overall job market, with the official unemployment rate falling by 0.5 percentage point from 31.9% in the third quarter to 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The survey shows that employment increased by 44 000 to 17.1 million, while the number of unemployed decreased by 172 000 to 7.8 million. Dihlolelo Phoshoko, Director at Stats SA, highlighted that the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, North West, and Northern Cape provinces recorded the largest employment gains.
–ChannelAfrica–
