Jobs gap in South Africa
South Africa: Jobs gap was 12,334 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Jobs gap in South Africa, 2008–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2024, jobs gap in South Africa stood at 12,334. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 48.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, jobs gap in South Africa peaked at 12,334 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6,229, in 2008.
That places South Africa 2nd out of 70 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Jobs gap in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 6,229 | — |
| 2009 | 6,887 | +10.6% |
| 2010 | 7,600 | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 7,832 | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 8,022 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 8,143 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 8,302 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 8,450 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 8,986 | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 9,316 | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 9,710 | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 10,279 | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 10,938 | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 12,171 | +11.3% |
| 2022 | 12,235 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 11,880 | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 12,334 | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6,558 | 6,229 | 6,887 | 2 |
| 2010s | 8,664 | 7,600 | 10,279 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,912 | 10,938 | 12,334 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 1 Brazil 15,019 compare
- 3 United States of America 9,805 compare
- 4 Angola 5,191 compare
- 5 Russian Federation 4,813 compare
More work & labour data for South Africa
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.242 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2122 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8748 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 58,057 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14,698 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 49,126 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 45,189 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 94,314 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is jobs gap in South Africa?
- Jobs gap in South Africa was 12,334 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest jobs gap recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12,334 in 2024.
- What is the lowest jobs gap recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,229 in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for jobs gap?
- South Africa ranks 2nd out of 70 countries with data for 2024.
- Is jobs gap rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Jobs gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The jobs gap is defined as the sum of the unemployed, the potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.