[Source: Pexels]
South Africa’s unemployment crisis is getting worse, with two provinces – Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape – nearing a troubling milestone: More working-age adults unemployed than employed.
The scary situation mirrors that of the North West province, which currently holds the distinction of having more unemployed people than employed ones.
According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey by Statistics South Africa, the expanded unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2025 stands at 32.9%, a 1% increase from the previous quarter. This rise is attributed to seasonal job losses following the festive period and the influx of new job seekers into the market.
The national employment landscape reflects this trend, with a decrease of 291,000 employed individuals, bringing the total to 16.8 million. Conversely, the number of unemployed persons rose by 237,000 to 8.2 million. These figures underscore the challenges faced by the South African labour market.
Provinces such as the Western Cape, Gauteng, and the Free State experienced modest employment gains, while others, including KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape, saw declines.
The data also highlighted stark provincial disparities. Increases in employment were observed in the Western Cape (49,000), Gauteng (9,000) and the Free State (4,000).
Decreases were observed in KwaZulu-Natal (104,000), Eastern Cape (83,000), North West (57,000), Limpopo (55,000), Mpumalanga (43,000) and Northern Cape (12,000).
The Western Cape stands out as the only province with an expanded unemployment rate below 25%.
The escalating unemployment rates in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape are cause for concern, as they approach the critical threshold where more individuals are unemployed than employed. Addressing this issue requires targeted interventions and policies to stimulate job creation and economic growth in these provinces.
[Source: BusinessTech]
Jasmine Stone
www.2oceansvibe.com
