Inside South Africa's job losses, stalling wage growth
Quarter-on-quarter, South Africa added a small number of jobs in the third quarter of 2025, with total employment rising slightly from June to September.
Image: Oupa Mokoena | Independent Newspapers
South Africa had 79,000 fewer jobs in September 2025 than a year earlier, a decline of 0.7%, showing that total employment is still below last year’s level.
Average monthly pay gained just 0.3% between May and August, well below the current inflation rate of 3.6% year-on-year, although salaries did increase ahead of the month-on-month inflation hike between September and October.
This is according to Statistics South Africa’s latest quarterly employment statistics survey for September.
Year-on-year, salaries increased 3.5%, just about keeping pace with inflation. The average wage, according to Statistics South Africa, was R29,490 in August, while PayInc reports this figure at R21,414.
Overall, employee earnings continued to grow as total pay reached just over R1 trillion, with wages and bonuses rising, while overtime payments fell.
PayInc’s latest survey showed that South Africans saw no salary improvement between September and October, yet pay packets remain higher than a year ago. After stripping out inflation, the PayInc Net Salary Index slipped 0.2% month-on-month in October.
Sectors where jobs did increase included community services, trade, and mining, while business services, manufacturing, and construction lost jobs. Electricity and transport sectors remained unchanged.
Quarter-on-quarter, South Africa added a small number of jobs in the third quarter of 2025, with total employment rising slightly from June to September.
Full-time employment fell over the quarter, with losses in business services, manufacturing, and community services, while mining and construction added a few positions.
Part-time work, however, grew in the three months between July and September when compared to the prior three months. The increase amounted to 4.6%.
This was particularly the case in community services, trade, and business services, though construction and manufacturing reported small declines. Over the year, part-time employment is just below last year’s level.
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