Minister Meth Welcomes Drop in South Africa’s Unemployment Rate to 31.9% in Q3 2025 as Employment Rises by 248,000
Pretoria, Gauteng – Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth has praised the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) results from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), which show a drop in the country’s official unemployment rate by 1.3 percentage points to 31.9% in the third quarter of 2025. Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke shared the figures, noting an increase of 248,000 employed people from the second quarter, following a small rise of 19,000 earlier. Meth called this a positive sign of slow but steady recovery in the job market, though she raised worries about high youth unemployment and differences across provinces.
The survey, released on 12 November 2025, gives hope amid tough economic times but also points to big challenges like getting young people into work or training. Meth stressed the need for focused plans to create lasting jobs and improve skills.
Key Highlights from the QLFS Q3 2025 Report
The official unemployment rate fell from 33.2% in Q2 to 31.9% in Q3, with the number of unemployed dropping by 373,000 to 8.0 million. The expanded rate, which includes those who stopped looking for work, went down by 0.7 percentage points to 41.4%, affecting 12.0 million people.
Employment grew to 16.9 million, up from 16.7 million, driven by gains in sectors like construction, trade, and community services. Construction alone added 176,000 jobs, helping lower the rate. However, losses in finance and manufacturing offset some progress.
The labour force shrank by 112,000, with fewer people actively seeking work, which also helped the rate drop. These changes show a mixed picture, with some recovery but ongoing issues in getting everyone into the job hunt.
Provincial Variations and Youth Unemployment Concerns
Meth noted that the rate decreased in seven provinces, with the biggest drop in Limpopo by 5.1 percentage points to 30.3%. Other big falls were in Mpumalanga (down 4.5 points to 35.3%) and Free State (down 3.5 points to 34.2%). However, the Eastern Cape saw a rise of 1.7 points to 41.2%, the highest in the country, raising red flags about regional gaps.
Youth unemployment remains a big worry, with 58.5% of those aged 15-24 and 38.4% aged 25-34 out of work. The NEET rate (not in employment, education, or training) for 15-24 year-olds is 34.1%, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions to stimulate job creation and economic growth.
Meth said these figures show the need for plans focused on skills training, better education access, and sustainable jobs for the young.
Government Initiatives and Cluster Collaborations
The Department of Employment and Labour is working with 17 other departments in the Economic and Infrastructure Clusters to use big projects for job creation, as outlined in the 2024 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.
As part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, R4.013 billion has been set aside for the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) Phase V, aiming to place over 158,000 education and general assistants. To date, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has paid out R3.2 billion in stipends of R4,000 (gross) monthly, with all participants registered as UIF contributors.
The department has also teamed up with Higher Education and Training and the private sector to boost technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges. The Compensation Fund offers bursaries for scarce skills, helping “missing middle” students.
Project 20,000 seeks to recruit 20,000 interns to strengthen inspection capacity, with 3,500 already placed, more than doubling the workforce.
Plus, R10.9 billion has been approved for programmes to boost employability and save jobs, like the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) and Business Turnaround and Recovery (BT&R). So far, 150 projects are approved or in process, targeting 240,000 people last year.
Addressing Labour Migration and Future Outlook
Cabinet has greenlit the National Labour Migration Policy and Employment Services Amendment Bill to regulate foreign worker recruitment, both documented and undocumented. These changes aim to fix inconsistencies between Home Affairs and Employment and Labour, ensuring visas follow labour laws.
Meth reaffirmed the government’s teamwork with all sectors to create lasting job chances.
“We are working tirelessly with stakeholders across various sectors to implement policies that will drive sustainable employment growth, particularly for young people who remain disproportionately affected. We urge businesses, educational institutions, and civil society to collaborate with us in addressing the unemployment crisis.
“Initiatives aimed at skills development, entrepreneurship support, and investment in high growth sectors are critical in the reduction of the unemployment rate. We will continue to monitor labour market trends and implement policies that foster inclusive economic growth and job creation,” the Minister said.
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