Today Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) released the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q4: 2025, confirming the inability of the Government of National Unity to tackle our country’s stagnant, unequal economy and its stubbornly-high unemployment rate.
The GNU can talk about growth all it wants, but the only thing growing is the unemployment line.
There are now 12 405 000 South Africans who are able and willing to work but cannot find employment. There are 7.83 million people classified as unemployed, and a further 4.56 million categorised as “available potential jobseekers.”
The expanded definition of unemployment is 42.1% – one of the highest in the world. Almost half of young people aged 15-34 years old are now jobless. The harsh reality is that once someone struggles to find a job after school, they are likely to stay unemployed for an extended period of time.
This is exacerbated by our country’s weak basic education framework. A matric pass can be obtained by passing 3 subjects at 30% and 3 subjects at 40% – essentially a 35% aggregate, and the actual pass rate is typically around the 50% mark when considering the number of learners dropping out of the system since they entered in grade one.
Only through rigorous oversight, data-driven policy, and leadership that puts South Africans first can we unlock inclusive economic growth and real job creation.
That is why BOSA has put forward a Plan for Prosperity – a credible, detailed blueprint to grow the economy at 5% and create the jobs our country so urgently needs. We will continue to push this agenda through Parliament in the coming months on behalf of every South African desperate to find a job.
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons
BOSA Spokesperson
072 299 3551