The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) says the government should declare a state of emergency over the growing unemployment rate in the country.

This comes after Stats SA revealed on Tuesday that South Africa’s official unemployment rate increased to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, up 0.9 percentage points from 32.7% in the previous quarter.

The number of unemployed people rose by 345 000 to 8.5 million, while the number of employed people fell by 16 000 to 16.7 million.

“It is deeply concerning that South Africa has approximately 3.7 million discouraged job seekers. This is a clear indication that millions of people are willing and able to work but are increasingly discouraged by the lack of employment opportunities,” said Fedusa general-secretary Riefdah Ajam.

Ajam said unemployment in South Africa should be declared a “state of emergency” because the country cannot continue to experience one of the world’s highest unemployment rates without treating this crisis with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

“Unemployment is not merely a statistic; it is a reflection of the deepening inequality within our society. Its impact is felt directly in households where families have little or no income and are forced to rely on social grants, donations and other forms of assistance to survive,” she said.

Ajam said South Africa has many of the necessary policies, programmes and resources to address unemployment and inequality.

“However, the critical challenge remains effective implementation,” she said.

She said government cannot address the country’s unemployment crisis alone.

“Addressing unemployment requires a collective effort from government, business and organised labour. Business plays a critical role in creating and protecting jobs, developing skills, participating in infrastructure development, and partnering with government to advance economic reforms.

“One of the key commitments of the Jobs Summit was to create and protect jobs by promoting economic growth, investment and industrial development, while supporting distressed firms and workers,” she said.

She said a moratorium on retrenchments can help reduce unemployment by protecting existing jobs during periods of economic hardship.

“However, it must be balanced with the financial sustainability of businesses.

“Fedusa therefore calls on government, business and all social partners to strengthen collaboration and urgently implement practical and sustainable measures to create decent employment opportunities, reduce inequality and restore hope to millions of South Africans,” she said.