South Africa’s unemployment crisis is deepening, with the official unemployment rate climbing to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 32.7% in the first quarter. That means another
345,000 people have joined the ranks of the unemployed, taking the total number of unemployed South Africans to about 8.5 million. And behind these numbers are people who are looking for work,
graduates struggling to get their first opportunity, parents trying to provide for their families and young people questioning whether the economy has a place for them. Employment actually declined
slightly during the quarter, while more people entered the labour market looking for opportunities.
So what is driving this persistent jobs crisis? Why are we struggling to create employment at the scale needed — and what needs to change if South Africa is to get millions of people into work?

South Africa&rsquo;s unemployment crisis is deepening, with the official&nbsp;unemployment rate climbing to 33.6% in the second quarter of&nbsp;2026, up from 32.7% in the first quarter. That means another 345,000 people have joined the ranks of the unemployed, taking&nbsp;the total number of unemployed South Africans to about 8.5 million.&nbsp;And behind these numbers are people who are looking for work, graduates struggling to get their first opportunity, parents trying to&nbsp;provide for their families and young people questioning whether the&nbsp;economy has a place for them. Employment actually declined slightly during the quarter, while more people entered the labour&nbsp;market looking for opportunities. So what is driving this persistent jobs crisis? Why are we struggling&nbsp;to create employment at the scale needed &mdash; and what needs to&nbsp;change if South Africa is to get millions of people into work?

METRO FM Talk with Faith Mangope