Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa

South Africa: Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate was 14.2 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
14.2
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
5th
of 70 countries
All-time high
17.7
in 2020
All-time low
9.4
in 2008
Years of data
17
2008–2024

Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa, 2008–2024

051015202008201620242008: 9.42009: 11.72010: 14.12011: 14.52012: 14.42013: 142014: 13.72015: 12.72016: 12.92017: 12.72018: 13.72019: 13.72020: 17.72021: 16.62022: 15.72023: 13.92024: 14.2

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 14.2 for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in 2024.

That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa peaked at 17.7 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.4, in 2008.

South Africa ranks 5th of 70 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Africa, 2008 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2008 9.4
2009 11.7 +24.5%
2010 14.1 +20.5%
2011 14.5 +2.8%
2012 14.4 -0.7%
2013 14 -2.8%
2014 13.7 -2.1%
2015 12.7 -7.3%
2016 12.9 +1.6%
2017 12.7 -1.6%
2018 13.7 +7.9%
2019 13.7 +0.0%
2020 17.7 +29.2%
2021 16.6 -6.2%
2022 15.7 -5.4%
2023 13.9 -11.5%
2024 14.2 +2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10.55 9.4 11.7 2
2010s 13.64 12.7 14.5 10
2020s 15.62 13.9 17.7 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 2 Kosovo 26.9 compare
  2. 3 Guatemala 20.8 compare
  3. 4 Angola 18.6 compare
  4. 6 Chile 13.9 compare
  5. 7 Armenia 13.4 compare
  6. 8 Georgia 11.8 compare
  7. 8 Zimbabwe 11.8 compare

See the full ranking of 157 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa?
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa was 14.2 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17.7 in 2020.
What is the lowest potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 9.4 in 2008.
How does South Africa rank for potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate?
South Africa ranks 5th out of 70 countries with data for 2024.
Is potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. 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 Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-and-willing-non-jobseekers-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
157 places, 3,300 data points, 1991–2027
Last refreshed

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 potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers includes those who have been recently searching for a job but are not available to work within a short reference period, those who have not searched recently for a job, but they are available to work within a short reference period, and finally those who do not fall in neither of the previous categories but that wanted employment. The rate refers to this group divided by the sum of the extended labour force and willing non-jobseekers. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.