FX.co ★ South Africa Jobless Rate Falls to 31.9% in Q3

South Africa witnessed a decline in its unemployment rate, which fell to 31.9% in the third quarter of 2025, the lowest since the last quarter of 2024, offering a positive indication as it dropped from 33.2% in the second quarter, marking the year's first decline. The number of unemployed individuals decreased by 360,000, bringing the total down to 8.1 million. Concurrently, the labor force contracted by 112,000, settling at 25.1 million, while the number of employed people expanded by 248,000, reaching 17.1 million. Among the ten industries reviewed, six registered job increases, with construction leading the way, adding 130,000 positions to reach 1.39 million. Community and social services followed, with an increase of 116,000 jobs to total 3.988 million, along with the trade sector, which added 108,000 jobs, totaling 3.424 million. Conversely, manufacturing saw a decline of 62,000 jobs, reducing its workforce to 1.61 million, and finance decreased by 54,000 positions, standing at 2.93 million. Unemployment rates fell in seven out of nine provinces, notably with the steepest drops occurring in Limpopo, which fell by 5.2 percentage points to 29.8%, followed by the Free State, down 2.3 points to 36.2%, and North West, decreasing 2 points to 38.1%.