South Africa’s second quarter 2025 jobs data has triggered strong criticism from political parties and organised labour, with calls for urgent economic reforms, job creation programmes, and government accountability. 

They have all warned that the country’s unemployment crisis is worsening in real terms.

“Jobs give dignity and independence, but the current pace of growth is far too slow to make a dent in South Africa’s unemployment crisis,” said Free SA spokesperson Reuben Coetzer. 

“We cannot pat ourselves on the back for adding 0.3% more jobs when our working-age population is growing at the same rate,  or faster. In real terms, we are standing still, while millions remain jobless.”

Free SA argued that the Western Cape’s recent rise to become the province with the second highest number of employed people, overtaking KwaZulu-Natal, shows the benefits of a more business-friendly environment.

 “The Western Cape’s example shows that a more business-friendly environment delivers results. Other provinces  and national government  must take note,” Coetzer said. The group called for reduced policy uncertainty, the removal of unnecessary regulations, reforms to restrictive labour laws, and urgent improvements to infrastructure and services.

The DA’s spokesperson on Employment and Labour, Michael Bagraim, said the figures show “the ANC’s economic policies are not working and are only driving more and more South Africans into misery.” He added: “We cannot do the same thing over and over and expect a different result, which is why the DA’s plan to turbocharge the economy is so important.”

Bagraim said the DA’s plan includes cutting bureaucracy and red tape, scrapping “job-killing race-based legislation,” ensuring electricity security, improving local government functionality, and reducing crime to encourage investment. “The time for talkshops is long past. The time to take action is now,” he said.

FEDUSA said the high unemployment rate was “a big setback for the country’s economy and many households,” warning that it makes life harder for families, increases poverty and inequality, and slows economic growth. The union federation called for more job opportunities, stronger support for small businesses, improved skills training, and policies that encourage investment.

“With the upcoming National Dialogue, FEDUSA demands that it must produce actionable outcomes on employment creation, decent work, and wage progression, written into a national compact with timelines, deliverables, and accountability mechanisms,” the organisation said. While FEDUSA acknowledged the slight rise in the employment rate, it stressed that “the increase in the official unemployment rate shows that job creation remains a major challenge for South Africa.”

ActionSA leader in Parliament Alan Beesley said the GNU had overseen “almost 350 000” more unemployed people so far in 2025, describing the government as “hapless” and “rudderless.” He accused coalition partners of being “at odds with their coalition partner, the ANC, on virtually every element of their supposed plan to ‘save’ South Africa’s economy.”

“Minister Meth, if not you, then who will take action?” Beesley said, referencing the Minister of Employment and Labour. He also warned that slow growth, which has not exceeded 1% under the GNU, could face further pressure from “anticipated new US tariffs.”

“For those impacted, this is not just the absence of work but a suffocating darkness that erodes hope, dignity, and self-worth. According to the expanded definition, 12 million South Africans remain trapped in that darkness,” Beesley said.

According to Statistics South Africa’s Q2 2025 Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the number of employed persons increased by 19 000 to 16.8 million, while unemployed persons rose by 140 000 to 8.4 million.

 This pushed the official unemployment rate from 32.9% in the first quarter to 33.2% in the second quarter. The expanded unemployment rate declined slightly from 43.1% to 42.9%, while the number of discouraged work-seekers fell by 0.8%.

THE MERCURY

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