The latest data released by Statistics South Africa Stats SA shows that the official unemployment rate increased by 1.3 from 31.4 in the fourth quarter of last year to 32.7 points in the first quarter of 2026.
The first quarterly labour force survey of the year shows that the number of employed persons decreased by 347 000 to 16.8 million, while the number of unemployed persons increased by 301 000 to 8.1 million.
Decreases in employment were recorded in the transport, social service and construction sectors.
