South Africa’s unemployment rate climbed to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, prompting fresh criticism of the Government of National Unity from ActionSA.

Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows the number of unemployed people increased by 345,000 to 8.5 million between April and June. Employment fell by 16,000 to 16.7 million, while the labour force grew by 329,000.

ActionSA targets government over jobs crisis

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said the latest figures showed government had failed to produce a credible plan to improve living conditions and create sustainable employment.

Mashaba argued that rising unemployment reflected what he described as a leadership crisis. He also singled out Johannesburg, where 28,000 jobs were lost during the quarter.

According to Stats SA figures, employment also fell in Gauteng, the Western Cape and North West during the period.

Tshwane records employment growth

ActionSA pointed to Tshwane as a contrasting example.

Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya said the number of employed people in the capital increased from about 1.229 million in the first quarter to 1.251 million in the second quarter, an increase of roughly 22,000.

The city’s official unemployment rate also fell from 36.8% to 34.2%, a decline of 2.6 percentage points.

Tshwane was the only Gauteng metro to record employment growth during the quarter. Johannesburg lost 28,000 jobs, while Ekurhuleni lost 3,000.

Moya said the figures were encouraging, while acknowledging that unemployment in Tshwane remained a major challenge.

Other metros post mixed results

The labour force data showed mixed results across South Africa’s metros.

Cape Town lost 19,000 jobs during the quarter. eThekwini added 30,000 jobs, while Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay each added 7,000. Mangaung recorded no change.

The national figures underline the scale of South Africa’s employment challenge, with millions of people still unable to find work despite pockets of employment growth in some cities.