4 Million Men Have Ceased Job Hunting

Nearly 4 million South Africans have lost faith in their ability to secure employment as Mzansi’s job crisis worsens.

According to Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q3 2026, the number of unemployed individuals rose by 97,000 to 8.6 million when compared to the previous quarter.

Although the number of employed individuals increased by 101,000 to 16.8 million, this was insufficient to halt the official unemployment rate from climbing by 0.1 percentage point, from 33.6% to 33.7%.

The labour force saw an expansion of 198,000, or 0.8%, during the same timeframe.

A troubling finding was the rise in discouraged job-seekers, as an additional 70,000 people ceased their active job search, bringing the total to 3.7 million.

These individuals want to work but have stopped looking for jobs, often due to their perception that suitable opportunities do not exist or that their attempts will be futile.

Dimakatso Maloka, deputy director of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, noted that finance, manufacturing, and mining were leading sectors contributing to job growth.

She stated, “The primary industries that drove the increase in employment were finance, manufacturing, and mining.”

Finance experienced the largest boost, adding 111,000 jobs, followed by manufacturing, which saw an increase of 33,000, and mining, which contributed 31,000. However, these gains were partially countered by losses in other sectors. Private households lost 68,000 jobs, agriculture saw a decline of 34,000, and construction recorded a drop of 8,000.

The formal sector noted an increase of 268,000 jobs, totaling 12.3 million. In contrast, the informal sector experienced a loss of 98,000 jobs, and the household sector lost 68,000 jobs.

While manufacturing added jobs during the quarter, production figures reveal differing conditions within the industry.

Other sectors that exhibited stronger production include textiles and clothing, glass and non-metallic mineral products, metals and machinery, and electrical machinery.

However, the wood, paper, and publishing sector reported its second consecutive quarter of decline.

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