JOHANNESBURG - Employment in South Africa’s agricultural sector fell by around 4% between the second and third quarters of 2026.
However, Wandile Sihlobo of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa says the sector has managed to maintain relatively strong employment levels.
“Generally, when one looks at the employment figure of 911,000, it’s well above the long-term employment levels in this sector, which are typically around 800,000," he said..
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"So, in a way, we can see that there are definitely some challenges in the sector, but farmers have maintained fairly resilient employment levels.
"A number of things we hear when we speak to farmers across South Africa, and also observe in the data, include rising input costs, particularly fuel and fertiliser. These are putting a lot of pressure on the sector.”
South Africa’s official unemployment rate also increased slightly in the third quarter of 2026.
Statistics South Africa says the rate rose to 33.7%, from 33.6% in the previous quarter.
Read more: Unemployment rate increases to 33.7%