Makrognosis

South Africa Employment

QuarterlyNot seasonally adjustedCode ZA.EMP.Q.NSA

Latest (y/y)−0.4%Q2 2026
Previous (y/y)−0.2%Q1 2026
Level16,739 thousandsQ2 2026

South Africa Employment was down 0.4% year on year in Q2 2026, compared with −0.2% in Q1 2026.

The level stood at 16,739 thousands.

That is the lowest reading since Q1 2022.

Among the 14 economies Makrognosis covers on this measure, it is the 2nd lowest.

Over the past ten years it has ranged from −13.3% (Q2 2020) to 10.4% (Q3 2022), averaging 0.8%.

South Africa Employment, annual % change, Q1 2009 – Q2 2026−15%−10%−5%0%5%10%2010201520202025Robomacro
South Africa Employment, annual % change, Q1 2009 – Q2 2026. Source: South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Web API.
South Africa Employment, level (thousands)13k14k15k16k17k2010201520202025Robomacro
South Africa Employment, level (thousands).

Showing the full history (downsampled for display). Open the interactive chart to zoom and switch transforms.

Recent data

PeriodValueY/Y %
Q2 202616,739 thousands−0.4
Q1 202616,754 thousands−0.2
Q4 202517,099 thousands0.1
Q3 202517,055 thousands0.6
Q2 202516,807 thousands0.9
Q1 202516,787 thousands0.3
Q4 202417,078 thousands2.1
Q3 202416,946 thousands1.2
Q2 202416,652 thousands1.9
Q1 202416,745 thousands3.4
Q4 202316,723 thousands4.9
Q3 202316,745 thousands6.2
Q2 202316,346 thousands5.0
Q1 202316,192 thousands8.6
Q4 202215,934 thousands9.6
Q3 202215,765 thousands10.4
Q2 202215,562 thousands4.2
Q1 202214,914 thousands−0.5
Q4 202114,544 thousands−3.2
Q3 202114,282 thousands−2.8
Q2 202114,942 thousands5.6
Q1 202114,995 thousands−8.5
Q4 202015,024 thousands−8.5
Q3 202014,691 thousands−10.3

Last 24 observations. The full history (74 observations) is available through the API.

Get South Africa Employment in your code or spreadsheet

One guessable code, agency-direct, updated on release. Free tier available.

curl -H "X-API-Key: $MAKROGNOSIS_KEY" \
  "https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/ZA.EMP.Q.NSA"

# Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/ZA.EMP.Q.NSA",
                 headers={"X-API-Key": KEY})
obs = r.json()["observations"]
Get a free API key → · API docs

About this series

Latest observationQ2 2026
First observationQ1 2008
Observations74
FrequencyQuarterly
Unitsthousands
AdjustmentNot seasonally adjusted
10-year high10.4% (Q3 2022)
10-year low−13.3% (Q2 2020)
10-year average0.8%
Source agencySouth African Reserve Bank (SARB) Web API
Makrognosis codeZA.EMP.Q.NSA

Employment: how South Africa compares

#EconomyPeriodLatest
1ThailandQ3 20265.5%
2SwitzerlandQ2 20262.0%
3NorwayQ3 20261.5%
4MalaysiaQ3 20261.2%
5AustraliaQ3 20261.2%
6United KingdomQ3 20261.0%
7BrazilQ2 20260.7%
8JapanQ3 20260.5%
9DenmarkQ2 20260.1%
10TaiwanQ3 20260.09%
11CanadaQ4 20260.08%
12PolandQ2 2026−0.1%
13South AfricaQ2 2026−0.4%
14TurkeyQ3 2026−1.3%

Employment by country: all 14 economies ranked →

Other South Africa indicators

South Africa GDP (Gross Domestic Product)South Africa Nominal GDP at market prices (ZAR million, SAAR, SARB QB)South Africa Inflation Rate (CPI)South Africa Unemployment RateSouth Africa 10-Year Government Bond YieldSouth Africa Credit Rating & Sovereign Risk ScoreSouth Africa Industrial ProductionSouth Africa Retail SalesSouth Africa Producer Price Inflation (PPI)South Africa Current Account Balance - Balance of Payments (NSA)South Africa Trade Balance: Goods & ServicesSouth Africa Exports of goods and services, constant 2015 prices, SA annualised (SARB Web API NRI6013D; Quarterly Bulletin KBP6013D)South Africa Total Exports of Goods Including Gold - SARS Customs (NSA)South Africa Imports of goods and services, constant 2015 prices, SA annualised (SARB Web API NRI6014D; Quarterly Bulletin KBP6014D)South Africa Total Imports of Goods - SARS Customs (NSA)South Africa Government Debt to GDP

FAQ

What is the current employment in South Africa?
The latest reading is −0.4% year on year for Q2 2026, published by South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Web API.
Where does this data come from?
It is collected directly from South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Web API and is available through the Makrognosis API under the code ZA.EMP.Q.NSA.

Last updated 2026-10-16. Source: South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Web API. Original title: “South Africa employed persons, household survey (SARB LABD001A / QLFS)”.