South Africa’s unemployment crisis has deepened, with the official unemployment rate climbing to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026. Despite this, the department of employment and labour reported that it had placed 33,600 job seekers in employment and other opportunities during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
The department’s Employment Services of South Africa (Essa) system registered over 456,000 unemployed job seekers during the first quarter. Employment and labour minister Nomakhosazana Meth stated that the department provided various services to these work seekers, including counselling services, which totalled 144,104.
Job Placements by Province
The 33,600 positions secured comprised a mix of permanent roles, apprenticeships, project-based work, and training programs. Limpopo led with 8,688 placements, trailed by Gauteng at 7,238. The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal followed with 3,797 and 3,290 placements, respectively.
In the Free State, 2,639 individuals were placed, while the Western Cape and Mpumalanga recorded 2,554 and 2,174 placements, respectively. The Northern Cape saw 1,613 placements, and the North West had the fewest at 1,607.
Unemployment Rate Increases
According to Stats SA‘s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the country’s unemployment rate has climbed to its highest level in four years. The number of unemployed people increased by 345,000 to 8.5 million, while the number of employed people decreased by 16,000 to 16.7 million.
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Young people continue to bear a disproportionate share of the unemployment crisis, with the number of unemployed people aged between 15 and 34 years old increasing by 264,000 to 5 million between the first and second quarters. The youth unemployment rate increased by 1.5 percentage points to 47.4%.
The department’s goal is to generate 1 million work opportunities under its Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) and an additional 1 million through its affiliated entities. The first-quarter figure of 33,600 placements accounts for approximately 45% of its annual target of 75,000 placements.
Given the current unemployment rate and the department’s targets, they will likely need to increase their efforts to create sustainable employment opportunities. The department’s partnership with the National Pathway Management Network is expected to play a key role in achieving this goal, with a target of 130,000 job opportunities.
Minister Meth stated that public employment services were offered free of charge and funded through the department’s overall budget. They did not provide a breakdown of how many of the 33,600 placements were permanent jobs, as opposed to apprenticeships, project or training opportunities.
