The only province in South Africa where more people are unemployed than working

By Malcolm Libera

The North West province still holds the dubious distinction of being the only province in South Africa where more adults are unemployed than working.

According to Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey, while South Africa’s overall unemployment rate improved slightly in the third quarter of 2024, declining to 32.1% from the previous quarter, the North West’s expanded unemployment rate has reached a staggering 51.5%.

This means over half of the province’s working-age population is either unemployed or has given up looking for work, highlighting an alarming economic imbalance.

Nationally, some positive strides were noted, with the number of employed persons increasing by 294,000 to 16.9 million.

Unemployment also dropped by 373,000 to 8.0 million, leading to a slight contraction in the labour force.

However, the gains were unevenly distributed across provinces and sectors. Discouraged work seekers rose by 160,000 (5.0%), pushing the not economically active population up