Unemployment explainer
Unemployment in the second quarter of 2026
The official unemployment rate was 33.6% from April to June 2026, up from 32.7% in the first quarter. The number of unemployed people rose by 345 000 and the number employed fell by 16 000.
Sources
- Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 2: 2026 (P0211). Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .The cover page gives the embargo: 11 August 2026, 11:00.
The number
Official unemployment rate, Q2 2026
33.6%
Share of the labour force without a job and looking for one, April to June 2026. Up 0.9 points from 32.7% in Q1 2026. It was 33.2% in Q2 2025, so it is 0.4 points higher than a year earlier.
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Table A, page 1.
People unemployed, Q2 2026
8.5 million
Up 345 000 from Q1 2026. The number employed fell by 16 000.
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Table A, page 1.
What moved it
Stats SA gives this reason in the release:
“A decrease in employment and an increase in unemployment resulted in an increase of 0,9 of a percentage point in the unemployment rate to 33,6% in the second quarter of 2026.”
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Highlights of the results, page 2.
| People aged 15 to 64 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Change on Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 24.9 million | 25.2 million | +329 000 |
| Employed | 16.8 million | 16.7 million | -16 000 |
| Unemployed | 8.1 million | 8.5 million | +345 000 |
| Outside the labour force | 17.3 million | 17.1 million | -208 000 |
| Potential labour force | 4.9 million | 4.6 million | -280 000 |
| Discouraged job-seekers | 3.9 million | 3.7 million | -227 000 |
Published in thousands and rounded here to millions. The potential labour force and discouraged job-seekers are part of the people outside the labour force. Stats SA notes that, due to rounding, numbers do not necessarily add up to totals.
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Table A, page 1.
What it means in numbers
Of every 100 people in the labour force, about 34 had no job and were looking for one. The labour force is everyone aged 15 to 64 who is either employed or unemployed.
Unemployed 8 481 thousand ÷ labour force 25 220 thousand = 33.6%
This matches the published rate of 33.6%. Both counts are from Table A, page 1.
Counting the potential labour force as well (people who want work but did not look, or looked but could not start yet), about 44 in every 100 were without work.
(8 481 + 4 571) ÷ (25 220 + 4 571) = 13 052 ÷ 29 791 = 43.8%
This matches the published LU3 rate of 43.8%. The calculations are SA Data Hub's; the counts are in thousands.
Why South Africa has more than one unemployment rate
Stats SA publishes four measures of labour underutilisation, LU1 to LU4. The official unemployment rate is LU1. The others add people who are not counted as unemployed: employed people who want more hours, and people who want work but did not look or could not start yet. The release gives its reason for showing them:
“The report now includes other labour underutilisation indicators in addition to unemployment, primarily because unemployment is not the only measure of labour underutilisation.”
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Introduction, page 1.
“It is crucial that these indicators are understood as complementary and that they highlight persons in different situations with different degrees of attachment to the labour market.”
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Highlights of the results, page 2.
| Rate | Q2 2025 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LU1 Official unemployment rate | 33.2% | 32.7% | 33.6% |
| LU2 Unemployment and time-related underemployment | 36.1% | 35.9% | 36.6% |
| LU3 Unemployment and potential labour force | 43.0% | 43.7% | 43.8% |
| LU4 Composite measure of labour underutilisation | 45.4% | 46.3% | 46.3% |
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Table A, page 1.
- LU1: Official unemployment rate
- “Unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force that is unemployed.”
- Concepts and definitions, page 18
- LU2: Unemployment and time-related underemployment
- “Persons in underemployment (time-related) are employed persons who were willing and available to work additional hours, whose total number of hours actually worked during the reference period were below 35 hours per week.”
- Concepts and definitions, page 18
- LU3: Unemployment and potential labour force
- “The potential labour force includes persons who are not in the labour force, but are either available for work but not actively seeking employment or actively seeking employment but not currently available to work.”
- Concepts and definitions, page 18
- LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilisation
- “the composite measure of labour underutilisation (LU4) that combines unemployment, time-related underemployment, and potential labour force.”
- Highlights of the results, page 2
The former expanded rate
Some older SA Data Hub pages show an “expanded” unemployment rate. This release does not use that term or publish such a rate, and neither does the Q1 2026 release in our files. We have no release in hand that defines it, so we do not quote a definition or a figure for it here. LU3 is a different measure and should not be read as the expanded rate.
In Stats SA's words
“While these revisions strengthen how certain aspects of the labour market are captured, they do not affect the measurement or definition of employment and unemployment. Therefore, headline unemployment figures remain comparable and consistent with previous quarters.”
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Introduction, page 1.
Who counts as what
- Unemployed (official definition)
- “Unemployed persons according to the Official definition are those (aged 15–64 years) who: a) were not employed in the reference week; and b) actively looked for work or tried to start a business in the four weeks preceding the survey interview; and c) were available for work, i.e. would have been able to start work or a business in the reference week; or d) had not actively looked for work in the past four weeks but had a job or business to start at a definite date in the future and were available.”
- Concepts and definitions, page 18
- Employed
- “Employed persons are those aged 15–64 years who, during the reference week, did any work for at least one hour, or had a job or business but were not at work (i.e. were temporarily absent).”
- Concepts and definitions, page 16
- Labour force
- “The labour force comprises all persons who are employed, plus all persons who are unemployed.”
- Concepts and definitions, page 17
- Discouraged work-seeker
- “Discouraged work-seeker is a person who was not employed during the reference period, wanted to work, was available to work/start a business but did not take active steps to find work during the last four weeks, provided that the main reason given for not seeking work was any of the following: no jobs available in the area; unable to find work requiring his/her skills; lost hope of finding any kind of work.”
- Concepts and definitions, page 16
What the measure covers and does not cover
It is a household sample survey. Stats SA asks people in a sample of dwellings across the country, so the figures are estimates with a margin of error, not a count of everyone.
- Dwellings in the expected sample, approximately: 33 000
Introduction, page 1; Survey requirements and design, page 13; Reliability of the survey estimates, page 15
Not every sampled household answers. Stats SA adjusts the weights for those that do not.
- Response rate, national, Q2 2026: 86.9%
Table G, page 13; Non-response adjustment, page 14
The report covers people aged 15 to 64. The survey collects data on people aged 15 and older.
Introduction, page 1
One hour of work in the reference week counts as being employed.
Concepts and definitions, page 16
Stats SA revised the questionnaire in Q3 2025. It says the change does not affect the unemployment rate, but formal and informal sector figures from Q3 2025 cannot be compared with earlier quarters.
Introduction, page 1; Table A footnote, pages 1 and 2
More on unemployment
Stats SA expects to publish the Q3 2026 figures in November 2026.
From Stats SA P0211 Q2 2026, Cover page.
Sources
- Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 2: 2026 (P0211). Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .The cover page gives the embargo: 11 August 2026, 11:00.
Source of the basic data: Stats SA. The worked calculations are SA Data Hub's own, from that data.