South Africa’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 33.6%, Citizens Weigh In on Country’s Ongoing Crisis
- South Africa's official unemployment rate has climbed from 32.7% in Q1 2026 to 33.6% in Q2 2026
- South Africa's all-time high unemployment rate stands at 35.3%, recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021
- South Africans weighed in on the increase in the rate, sharing mixed reactions to the ongoing crisis in the country
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTNEG - South Africa's official unemployment rate has climbed to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026.
The rate shot up from 32.7% in the first quarter, according to new figures released on 11 August 2026. The increase represents an increase of 345,000 in the number of unemployed persons.
There are now approximately 8.5 million unemployed individuals in the country. The biggest decreases in employment were recorded in the Western Cape (48,000), Gauteng (22, 000) and North West (15 000).
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South Africa among world's worst in terms of unemployment
The latest figure keeps South Africa near the top of global unemployment rankings. The country's all-time high official rate was 35.3%, recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021 during the peak economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regionally, South Africa reports one of the highest unemployment rates on the continent, well above the Sub-Saharan African average, and comparable to neighbouring Eswatini, which records a rate of around 34%.
Among G20 nations, South Africa ranks first by a significant margin, with a rate more than five times the G20 average of approximately 5.1%. Youth unemployment remains particularly severe, hovering around 60%.
South Africans react online
The announcement drew a strong response on social media, with some questioning how accurate it was.
The Daily Briefing wrote:
"Companies are closing, retrenching, restructuring. This has worsened the job crisis in South Africa."
Andrew C Moyo asked:
"Is it not supposed to decrease?"
Kamenyo Omukulu called for action, writing:
"Put politics aside, and foreign issues this time around. Just use strategies to tackle this problem."
Gregg Smith was sceptical of the official figure:
"It's way more than that."
Chadwin Chetty offered a more measured perspective:
"These numbers are because of poor stewardship, but we as South Africans can make a change. We have intelligent, well-equipped people."
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says it's not government's job to create jobs
Briefly News reported that Khumbudzo Ntshavheni discussed the government's role in dealing with the unemployment crisis.
The Minister in the Presidency noted how in some countries, like Germany, the country’s employment was not driven by the State.
South Africans took to social media to weigh in on her stance, but many were not impressed by the minister's comments about the situation.
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Source: Briefly News
