unemployment

Parliamentary debate following the State of the Nation Address exposes deep divisions over government's handling of joblessness, with ANC backbenchers joining opposition in calling for concrete intervention on youth unemployment.

Unemployed residents in Springs, east of Johannesburg, have descended on scarred mining land in a desperate bid for economic survival, reviving the informal gold extraction that has long haunted South Africa's mineral-rich communities.

South Africa recorded a 0.5 percentage point decline in unemployment to 31.4% in Q4 2025, while Britain's jobless rate climbed to its highest level in over a decade outside the pandemic period, highlighting divergent labour market trajectories across major economies.

Despite regional economic expansion, East African youth face mounting unemployment pressures, driving record numbers into the informal jua kali sector where wages remain low and job security minimal.

Cascading utility failures are creating economic hardship for households across affected regions, with residents losing employment opportunities and facing mounting financial losses from infrastructure instability.