According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 32.7% in the first quarter.
The employment declined by 16,000 to 16.7 million, while the number of unemployed people increased by 345,000 to 8.5 million.
According to DA Eastern Cape Legislature leader, Andrew Whitfield, the Eastern Cape recorded one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, rising to 47.5% from 44.7% in the previous quarter and 39.5 % a year ago. The province lost 116,000 jobs over the past year.
Whitfield added that even though the province gained 13,000 employed people between the first and second quarter, more people searched for work as a result of the labour force growing by 160,000. He also mentioned that unemployment outside Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay had reached 56,5% while the expanded unemployment rate stood at 63.2%.
“The Eastern Cape does not have a shortage of people willing to work. It has a shortage of jobs, investment, and functioning local economies capable of creating opportunity,” Whitfield said.
Poor infrastructure, unreliable electricity and water services, weak municipal management and low investment are to blame for the crisis. Whitfield stated that close to one million people have left the province in search of better opportunities over the past decade.
A report by Stats SA showed that discouraged job-seekers declined by 227,000 to 3.7 million, while the potential labour force decreased to 4.6 million. These figures emphasize the continuing challenges in creating sustainable employment, particularly in provinces such as the Eastern Cape.
