South Africa’s unemployment rate is on the rise, with more than 8 million individuals without employment

The government’s statistics office reported on Tuesday that South Africa’s unemployment rate rose by 0.6 percentage points from 32.9% in Q1 2024 to 33.5% in Q2 2024.

In recent years, the most industrialized economy in Africa has encountered challenges in employment creation as a result of a protracted recession and, most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of individuals without employment increased from 5.2 million in 2014 to approximately 8.4 million.

In the second quarter of 2024, the number of employed individuals decreased by 92,000 to 16.7 million. Trade, agriculture, and construction were the industries that experienced the greatest job losses.

Manufacturing, social services, and utilities were the sole sectors that generated employment opportunities.

The figures are the first to be disclosed since the May elections, which resulted in the establishment of a coalition government that prioritized the revitalization of the faltering economy.

The African National Congress (ANC) presumably lost an absolute majority as a result of unemployment, which was a significant political issue during the vote.

The Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces experienced the most substantial decline in employment, according to the statistics.