South Africa’s official unemployment rate rises to 33.7% in the third quarter, even as the jobs market adds positions. IOL reports that 101,000 more people find work, while almost as many—97,000—move into unemployment. The South African also cites the increase to 33.7% in the third quarter and says 8.6 million people remain jobless.
Other coverage highlights the scale and mix of employment changes in the formal sector. The Rio Times says formal-sector jobs grow by 268,000, alongside the increase in unemployment. Taken together, the reports describe a labour market with job creation that does not fully offset people either losing work or entering the labour force without jobs. All three outlets agree on the headline unemployment figure for the quarter and on the direction of change, though their emphasis differs between overall jobs added, the number remaining unemployed, and formal-sector growth.
