South Africa’s employment figures showed a glimmer of hope as the national unemployment rate dipped to 31.4% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025.
However, the latest data reveals a jobs lottery where your luck depends entirely on your geography. While most of South Africa celebrated marginal gains, one region continues to buck the trend, recording the most devastating labour statistics in the Republic.
Eastern Cape: Job bloodbath continues filling up
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) findings show that the Eastern Cape has become the primary anchor weighing down national recovery efforts.
Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke noted a “considerable gap” in labour utilisation, explaining that there is a “sizeable proportion of people who are not employed, want to work but are not taking enough steps to look for work”. In the Eastern Cape, that gap has become a canyon.
The Eastern Cape recorded a staggering official unemployment rate of 42.5%, the highest in South Africa. While the national rate decreased, the Eastern Cape’s rate spiralled upwards from 41.2% in the third quarter.
Even more alarming is the expanded measure, which includes discouraged work-seekers; here, the Eastern Cape hit 51.4%, meaning more than half of its potential workforce is sitting idle.
Provincial Performance Comparison (Q4 2025)
| Province | Official Unemployment Rate | Job Gains/Losses (Q/Q) |
|---|---|---|
| Western Cape | 18.1% | +93 000 |
| Northern Cape | 27.1% | +17 000 |
| Limpopo | 28.2% | -3 000 |
| Mpumalanga | 32.3% | +37 000 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 32.3% | -41 000 |
| Gauteng | 33.0% | -54 000 |
| North West | 35.1% | +36 000 |
| Free State | 37.2% | -11 000 |
| Eastern Cape | 42.5% | -32 000 |
| South Africa (National) | 31.4% | +44 000 |
Sources: Stats SA QLFS Q4: 2025
The crisis is not new. For 10 years, the Eastern Cape has consistently remained above the national unemployment average.
Contextually, the Eastern Cape’s economy contracted by -0.2% in 2024, and the provincial government continues to spend nearly 65% of its budget on administrative salaries rather than service delivery or infrastructure.
Neo Thale
www.sapeople.com