South Africas unemployment rate fell to 31.9 in the third quarter of 2025, down from 33.2 in the previous quarter, according to Statistics South Africa Stats SA .
In a media briefing held in Tshwane on 11 November, Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke confirmed that the number of employed people increased by about 248 000, bringing the total to 17.1 million. The number of unemployed persons declined by 360 000, to just over eight million.
Maluleke explained that the improvement was mainly driven by job gains in the construction, community and social services, and trade sectors. Between the second and third quarters of 2025, the number of people outside the labour force rose by 239 000, driven by an increase of 230 000 in the potential labour force and an increase of 8 000 among others outside the labour force, he said.