South Africa unemployment highest in world, at over 34%      

Rising joblessness could heap pressure on authorities to extend relief measures that would complicate efforts to stabilise public finances

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. South Africa's unemployment figure is likely to deteriorate in the third quarter because the government tightened Covid-19 curbs in the face of a third wave of infections.

South Africa’s unemployment rate surged to the highest on a global list of 82 countries. 

The jobless rate rose to 34.4% in the second quarter from 32.6% in the three months to March, said Statistics South Africa.