South Africa’s official unemployment rate has dropped for the first time in a year, with data from Statistics South Africa revealing a decline from 33.5% in the second quarter to 32.1% in the third quarter.
This marks the first reduction in the rate since the third quarter of 2023.
Known for having one of the highest unemployment rates globally, South Africa saw improvements largely due to employment growth in six out of the ten industries monitored by the statistics agency.
The community and social services sector reported the most significant job gains.
Under the broader definition of unemployment, which includes individuals discouraged from seeking work, the jobless rate also improved slightly, falling to 41.9% from 42.6% in the previous quarter.
