Gross earnings paid to employees in South Africa increased by R74.7 billion to R1.08 trillion in December 2025. This is the total amount of money paid to all employees in the economy before deductions.
According to Statistics South Africa Stats SA, the Quarterly Employment Statistics QES for December 2025 show an increase in wages as the economy saw more people employed. However, data show a year-on-year decline compared to the same period in 2024.
This comes a month after the release of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey QLFS, which revealed a decrease in unemployment in the fourth quarter of 2025. QLFS tracks employment and unemployment among people, while QES measures jobs and wages in the formal business sector.
