South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2024 from 32.7% in the first quarter, the highest level since the first quarter of 2022. The number of unemployed people increased 4.2% to 8.481 million, while employment edged down 0.1% to 16.739 million and the labor force grew 1.3% to 25.220 million, even as the participation rate slipped to 59.6%. Statistics South Africa’s data points to a labor market struggling to absorb new entrants, with weak economic growth, load-shedding, and skills mismatches weighing on hiring. Manufacturing, construction and trade were among the sectors under pressure, while agriculture also posted a slight decline in employment. Youth joblessness remained especially severe, and the expanded unemployment rate, which includes people who have stopped looking for work, reached 42.6%. Rising unemployment is likely to keep pressure on household incomes, consumer spending, social welfare systems and investor sentiment, underscoring the need for faster job creation and structural reform.