UASA Media Release: 17 February 2026
Statement by Abigail Moyo, spokesperson of the trade union UASA:
Stats SA announced today that the official unemployment rate fell by 0.5% to 31.4% in the last quarter of 2025. This is the lowest rate since the third quarter of 2020.
It is encouraging to see three consecutive quarters of net job growth and a positive shift in the unemployment rate.
However, significant job losses occurred in trade, manufacturing, and mining, while most new jobs were created in community services, construction and finance.
Although graduate unemployment declined to 10.3%, over a third of South Africans with only a matric qualification remain unemployed. Additionally, about 3.5 million young people aged 15 to 24 were not in employment, education or training in the fourth quarter of 2025.
UASA welcomes the decline in the unemployment rate as positive news and a sign of hope amid the country’s ongoing unemployment challenges. However, job gains still do not keep pace with job losses.
A decrease of 172,000 unemployed persons and an increase of 44,000 employed persons do not offset the nearly 250,000 jobs at risk at Tongaat Huletts alone. Many other companies are also facing liquidations and retrenchments.
The practical turnaround required is for the number of jobs created to exceed the number of jobs lost. That is the only way to survive this wave of unemployment.
We urge the government to continue implementing measures to address high unemployment. We remain hopeful that the coming year will bring productive growth and sustainability across all sectors and industries.
For further enquiries or to set up a personal interview, contact Abigail Moyo at 065 170 0162.