Eastern Cape loses 32,000 jobs as discouraged job seekers rise to 3.7 million

The Eastern Cape recorded a decline of 32,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released on Tuesday. Nationally, the official unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 of a percentage point from 31.9% in the third quarter of 2025 to 31.4% in the fourth quarter, following the addition of 44,000 jobs during the period under review. Presenting the data at Stats SA’s Isibalo House headquarters in Pretoria, statistician-general Risenga Maluleke said the number of employed persons increased by 44,000 to 17.1 million, while the number of unemployed persons decreased by 172,000 to 7.8 million compared with the third quarter.

Maluleke said other available job seekers decreased by 110,000 to 855,000, while unavailable job seekers decreased by 41,000 to 42,000. This resulted in a net increase of 82,000 to 4.6 million in the potential labour force population — defined as persons who were available but not seeking work or unavailable but seeking work. Those outside the labour force accounted for 17.1 million people in the fourth quarter.

Although employment increased and unemployment declined, the labour force decreased by 128,000, or 0.5%, reflecting movements within the working-age population. The combined rate of unemployment and time-related underemployment decreased by 0.6 of a percentage point to 34.3%. The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force — often referred to as the expanded unemployment rate — decreased by 0.3 of a percentage point to 42.1% in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter.

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The composite measure of labour underutilisation, which combines time-related underemployment, unemployment and the potential labour force as a proportion of the extended labour force, stood at 44.5% in the fourth quarter. Formal sector employment increased by 320,000 in the fourth quarter, while informal sector employment decreased by 293,000 over the same period.

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