South Africa's unemployment rate eased to 31.9% in Q3 2025, the lowest level since Q4 2024, compared to 33.2% in Q2, marking the first decline this year. The number of unemployed fell by 360,000 to 8.1 million, the labor force dropped by 112,000 to 25.1 million, and employed individuals rose by 248,000 to 17.1 million. The expanded unemployment rate, including discouraged workers, fell to 42.4% from 43% in Q2. Six of ten industries recorded job gains, led by construction (+130,000 to 1.39 million), community (+116,000 to 3.988 million), and trade (+108,000 to 3.424 million), while losses were concentrated in manufacturing (-62,000 to 1.61 million) and finance (-54,000 to 2.93 million). Unemployment declined in seven of nine provinces, with the largest drops in Limpopo (-5.2 points to 29.8%), Free State (-2.3 points to 36.2%), and North West (-2 points to 38.1%). The youth unemployment rate, measuring job-seekers between 15 and 24 years old, fell to a two-year low of 58.5% in Q3.
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