DESPITE the fact that the number of unemployed people in the country has increased, but there is a glimmer of hope in KwaZulu-Natal, the number of people earning income is increasing.
The unemployment rate rose to 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026, from 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
These figures were announced by Mr. Risenga Maluleke, Statistician-General kwiStats SA, izolo. Maluleke said that 345,000 jobs have been lost, while the number of working people in the country stands at 16.8 million.
“KZN is the only province that has seen an increase in the number of working people by 6,000. The province that has seen the most reduction in the number of working people is North West by 80,000, followed by Gauteng by 67,000 and Mpumalanga by 54,000.”
He said the number of unemployed youth aged 15 to 24 has also increased.
“It is 60.9% of youths aged 15 to 24 who are unemployed in this country. The number of unemployed people in this country has increased to 8.1 million. It is the youth who are facing the brunt of unemployment,” he said.
He said for those aged 25 to 34, the unemployment rate stands at 40.6%. He also lamented that the number of those who have given up hope of finding a job has increased to 3.9 million.
He went on to say that it is important to stop the decline in jobs and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The EFF criticized the ANC for the increase in the number of unemployed. The group said that Congress is busy protecting President Cyril Ramaphosa from the problems he is facing and abandoning unemployed people.
ActionSA has called on Ramaphosa to fire all GNU ministers who are fueling the unemployment problem.
“We will write to Ramaphosa and urge him to take serious measures against the ministers of economy who are losing their jobs. People cannot rely on something that is not there that one day they will get a job.”
The sectors that have lost a lot of jobs include construction, transportation and housing. The ones that have grown are manufacturing, mining and agriculture.