The number of unemployed people has nearly doubled in 18 years
· The South African
More than one-third of South Africa’s working population is unemployed.
The recent 0.9% decline in employment could be blamed on global events that have made doing business challenging.
Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.
This may have fueled the problem. But it isn’t the cause.
South Africa is in an unemployment crisis, regardless of how you choose to slice it.
The most worrying figure is that unemployment has nearly doubled since 2008.
The number of unemployed people increased by 94% in 18 years
If you’re counting the numbers quarterly, these subtle declines seem par for the course.
Zoom out and take a look at the bigger picture: South Africa is deep in an unemployment crisis.
According to data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), 4 371 000 people were unemployed in 2008. As of the second quarter of 2026, 8 481 000 people are unemployed.
This is a 94% increase. It’s also only 261 000 people away from being double the 2008 figure.
Employment has increased by 15.9% in 18 years.
In the first quarter of 2008, amid a global recession, 14 438 000 people were employed.
At the end of the second quarter of 2026, only 16 739 000 people were employed.
Contrast that with the working-age population growth.
In 18 years, South Africa’s working population has increased by 31%.
Young People have Given Up
Buried in the data are the Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) figures.
It shows that young people, aged 15 to 24, have given up on education and employment.
When data began in the third quarter of 2012, 31.4% of those in this age group weren’t studying or working.
As of the first quarter of 2026, 37.6% of those in this age group weren’t employed or studying — the highest in recorded history.
Can South Africa’s Economy Absorb the Unemployed?
According to Stats SA, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 0.5% in the first quarter of 2026.
The sixth consecutive quarter of growth.
Last year it grew 1.1%.
In 2021, it grew 4.9% after a 6.4% contraction in 2020.
The economy is, for all intents and purposes, stagnant.
If you use the measurement that for every 1% of GDP growth, roughly 100 000 jobs are created, South Africa’s economy would need to grow by 5% every year for the next 9 years to absorb the current unemployed population.
To absorb future job seekers coming onto the market, this growth would need to be higher. Significantly higher.