Unemployment increased to 32.9% in Q1 - Stats SA

JOHANNESBURG - Youth unemployment remains above the national unemployment rate in the country. 

Statistics SA released the country’s latest unemployment figures on Tuesday morning. 

It showed that the unemployment figure increased by one percentage point to 32.9% in the first quarter of this year and close to 300,000 jobs were lost between January and March in comparison to the fourth quarter of 2024. 

Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke emphasised that the youth unemployment figures continued a decade-long trend of being above the national unemployment average.

"Those aged 15-24 years, their unemployment rate is sitting at 62.4% and those aged 25-34 years, their unemployment rate is sitting at 40.4%."