Statistics SA: Western Cape has lowest unemployment in SA

PROVINCIAL NEWS - The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) data released today by Statistics South Africa, shows that the Western Cape's unemployment rate has dropped to 18.1%.

On average, the Western Cape added 31 000 jobs per month over the last three months of 2025.

Premier Alan Winde and Provincial Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, have welcomed the drop, saying the Western Cape also leads in other key metrics of employment.

Bragging rights

The Western Cape’s unemployment rate declined by 1.5 percentage points, year-on-year, reaching a five-year low in Quarter 4 of 2025.
This unemployment rate is substantially lower than the national unemployment rate of 31.4%, and the lowest in the country.
Seven out of ten sectors added jobs year-on-year, with the Trade (+48 000), Agriculture (+22 000) and Construction (+22 000) Sectors driving provincial job growth in Quarter 4 of 2025.
The province also maintained one of the highest labour force participation rates (percentage of the working-age population that is either employed or actively seeking work) in the country at 68.8% (increased year-on-year), which is well above the national rate of 59.3% (declined year-on-year).

Neat drop in NEET

The Western Cape’s youth NEET indicator - the number of people aged 15-24 Not in Employment, Education, or Training - has dropped by 6.6% quarter-on-quarter.

Winde said this latest data proves that everything done in the Western Cape to build an enabling job creation ecosystem is working and that the province is gaining more momentum.

Winde posted this on X on 19 January this year.

"We still have much more work to do, though, and we cannot lose sight of the fact that far too many people are unemployed. However, what these latest statistics make clear is that the Western Cape is on the right path in getting it done to push down unemployment.

"These numbers reflect the dedicated efforts of this government, working hand in hand with businesses and companies across the Western Cape to strengthen confidence and trust, all in pursuit of our apex priority: driving economic growth and creating jobs."

Meyer said the fact that the Western Cape once again leads South Africa in job creation, is clear proof that the jobs strategy is delivering real results - growing the economy and creating opportunities for more residents.

"Strong performances in trade, agriculture and construction continue to fuel our momentum, with the Western Cape contributing 30% of the country’s total job gains in Quarter 4 of 2025.”

Meanwhile, statistics show that the Eastern Cape’s official unemployment rate now stands at 42.5% - the highest in the country and 5.9 percentage points higher than the same period in 2024.

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