25 million people are without work in SA

UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS

- YASMINE JACOBS

THE latest data from Statistics South Africa indicated that South Africa's official unemployment rate has risen to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 32.9% in the previous quarter.

However, expressing it as a percentage does not convey the severity of the issue.

In South Africa, approximately 25 million people are not working. If the number is too overwhelming to grasp, let’s crunch the numbers.

Keep in mind that the working-age population is 41.8 million people.

To provide clarity amid public discourse, Stats SA has offered precise definitions to IOL and shed light on the methodology.

Defining “Employed” Persons: The 16.8 million employed persons in Q2:2025 are, according to Stats SA's official definition, individuals aged 15-64 years who, during the reference week, performed any work for at least one hour, or who had a job or business but were temporarily absent. This clarifies that even part-time work contributes to the official employment count.

Clarifying “Official Unemployment”: The 8.4 million officially unemployed persons meet specific, strict criteria as defined by Stats SA. These are individuals aged 15-64 years who were not employed in the reference week, but actively looked for work or tried to start a business in the four weeks prior to the survey, and were available for work. Some may also be included if they had a job to start at a future definite date and were available, even without actively searching.