JOHANNESBURG - Unemployment figures are in the spotlight today as new job stats are set to be released.
In the third quarter of 2025, roughly eight million South Africans were officially unemployed, representing a 31.9 perent jobless rate, according to Statistics South Africa.
Youth unemployment remains particularly alarming, with 62.4 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds out of work in the first quarter of 2025.
During his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted over 2.5 million opportunities created through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, but experts agree that more needs to be done.
Jason Swartz from Old Mutual says the numbers are a sobering reminder of the challenges facing the economy.
"We've had a lot of good news and data over the last 12 to 18 months," he said.
"Our GDP and unemployment numbers are probably two of the data points that take a bit of time to turn around."
Swartz noted improvements in construction sentiment and tourism activity, but said sectors like retail and hospitality remain key indicators to watch.
"The big thing that we really want to work out or look at is the youth unemployment numbers."
"I think at least the medium term should see better numbers, particularly what the President mentioned around SONA and infrastructure investment, which should bode well for job creation."