Employee wages rise by R74.7bn in fourth quarter of 2025

Gross earnings paid to employees in South Africa increased by R74.7 billion to R1.08 trillion in December 2025. This is the total amount of money paid to all employees in the economy before deductions. According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) for December 2025 show an increase in wages as the economy saw more people employed.

However, data show a year-on-year decline compared to the same period in 2024. This comes a month after the release of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey(QLFS), which revealed a decrease in unemploymentin the fourth quarter of 2025. QLFS tracks employment and unemployment among people, while QES measures jobs and wages in the formal business sector.

The sector that recorded the highest increase during the period is trade by 37 000 jobs, and business services by 17 000. However, other sectors reported decreases; construction by 13 000, manufacturing by 11 000, community services by 5 000, transport by 4 000, and mining by 3 000. Electricity saw no change.

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“Total employment decreased by 102 000 year-on-year between December 2024 and December 2025,” said Stats SA. The agency said full-time employment increased by 14 000 to 9.4 million in December 2025. Three industries recorded an increase in jobs during the period; trade by 23 000, business services by 7 000, and community services by 4 000.

Four other industries recorded a decrease in jobs; this could be due to retrenchments or company closures. Construction recorded the highest job losses by 8 000, followed by transport by 5 000, manufacturing by 4 000, and mining by 3 000. “Full-time employment decreased by 69 000 year-on-year between December 2024 and December 2025,” said Stats SA.

Part-time employment saw an increase of 4 000 jobs to 1.1 million during the period. Most jobs were added in trade (14 000), followed by business services (10 000), and transport (1 000). Job cuts were recorded in community services (9 000), manufacturing (7 000), and construction (5 000). “Part-time employment decreased by 33 000 year-on-year between December 2024 and December 2025.” Data showed that gross earnings paid to employees increased from R1.01 trillion to R1.08 trillion during the period.

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