# South Africa's jobless count hit 8.6 million. The same day, ministers got a R98,008 raise

Stats SA put unemployment at 33.7% on Nov. 10, the day Ramaphosa approved 3.5% raises for ministers and MPs. The raise trails inflation; unions still call it indefensible.

By Patrick Karsh · 567 Business
Published: 2026-11-11T15:05:01.768669Z
Updated: 2026-11-11T15:05:48.313629Z
Canonical: https://567business.com/news/south-africa-unemployment-8-6-million-ministers-pay-rise

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South Africa's official jobless count rose by 97,000 to 8.6 million in the third quarter, Statistics South Africa said on Nov. 10. The same day, President Cyril Ramaphosa approved a 3.5% raise for ministers and members of Parliament. For a cabinet minister, that is R98,008 more a year, taking pay to R2,898,233. The raise is below inflation, but unions call it indefensible, and the backlash is still running on X.

The official unemployment rate rose to 33.7% from 33.6%, according to the [Stats SA media release](https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/Media%20Release%20QLFS%20Q3%202026.pdf). The [Presidency's statement](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/president-cyril-ramaphosa-determines-salary-increment-public-office-bearers-0) on the raises, backdated to April 1, came out less than two hours later. On Wednesday, the commission that recommends those salaries opened a two-day wage bill conference in Durban.

## The jobs numbers

The economy did add jobs. It just did not add them fast enough. Employment rose by 101,000 to 16.8 million. But the labor force grew by 198,000, so the number of jobless people rose too.

| Measure | Q3 2026 | Change from Q2 |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Official unemployment rate | 33.7% | +0.1 pt |
| Unemployed people | 8.6 million | +97,000 |
| Employed people | 16.8 million | +101,000 |
| Discouraged job seekers | 3.7 million | +70,000 |
| Expanded rate (incl. those not searching) | 44.0% | +0.2 pt |
| Youth rate, ages 15 to 34 | 47.3% | -0.1 pt |

Source: [Stats SA, QLFS for Q3 2026](https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/Media%20Release%20QLFS%20Q3%202026.pdf). The expanded rate, which Stats SA calls LU3, adds people who want work but have stopped looking. Stats SA also [said on X](https://x.com/StatsSA/status/2120084841848828376) that the rate for people aged 15 to 24 was 63.6%.

There was good news inside the data. Formal sector jobs rose by 268,000. Finance added 111,000 jobs, manufacturing 33,000 and mining 31,000. The losses came in private households (68,000), farming (34,000) and construction (8,000).

https://x.com/StatsSA/status/2120085764767719859

That is Stats SA's own post of the headline number. It drew far less attention than the news outlets that shared it. eNCA's breaking-news post on the jobless rate, which pointed to the 70,000 more discouraged job seekers, passed 140,000 views.

https://x.com/eNCA/status/2120086416227029205

## What politicians will now earn

The raises are 3.5% for the national executive, MPs, premiers and provincial legislators. Judges, magistrates and traditional leaders get 4%. All are backdated to April 1, 2026. The chart shows the yearly raise in rand for selected offices.

```chart
type: bar
title: Yearly pay raise for selected South African office-bearers, 2026/27
note: South African rand per year. Raises are 3.5% for politicians and 4% for judges, backdated to April 1, 2026
prefix: R
source: [Moneyweb](https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-signs-off-3-5-pay-rise-for-politicians/), [IOL](https://iol.co.za/business/jobs/2026-11-11-how-much-south-africas-ministers-and-mps-will-earn-after-ramaphosas-latest-salary-hike/)
---
Office | Raise
Chief Justice | 135,071
Speaker of the National Assembly | 115,304
Minister | 98,008
Premier | 92,245
Deputy minister | 80,712
Member of Parliament | 46,438
```

| Office | 2025/26 pay | 2026/27 pay |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Minister | R2,800,225 | R2,898,233 |
| Deputy minister | R2,306,044 | R2,386,756 |
| Premier | R2,635,562 | R2,727,807 |
| Member of Parliament | R1,326,792 | R1,373,230 |

Source: [Moneyweb](https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-signs-off-3-5-pay-rise-for-politicians/). An ordinary MP now earns about R114,435 a month, and a minister about R241,519, [IOL calculated](https://iol.co.za/business/jobs/2026-11-11-how-much-south-africas-ministers-and-mps-will-earn-after-ramaphosas-latest-salary-hike/).

The Presidency announced the decision on X. Its post has drawn more than 180,000 views and over 260 replies.

https://x.com/PresidencyZA/status/2120106629047726517

## The raise trails inflation

There is a fair defense of the decision, and the numbers back part of it. South Africa's consumer prices rose 4.5% in the year to September, [Stats SA reported](https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0141/P0141September2026.pdf). A 3.5% raise is a small cut in real terms. It is also smaller than last year's, when politicians got [3.8% and judges 4.1%](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/public-office-bearers-salaries-increase).

The Presidency said Ramaphosa weighed "serious economic challenges facing the country." It said the independent commission looked at what the state can afford, past and future inflation, wage deals and average pay rises. Salaries for these offices are set this way under section 219 of the Constitution.

Critics say the timing matters more than the percentage. The South African Federation of Trade Unions rejected the 3.5% raise but accepted the 4% for judges, [The Citizen reported](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/saftu-rejects-ramaphosas-3-5-salary-hike-for-ministers-mps-premiers-and-mecs/). "This decision is indefensible," said general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi. He pointed to 13.1 million people who were unemployed or in the potential labor force in the second quarter. SAFTU called on Ramaphosa and Parliament to reverse the increase.

## The backlash online

On X, the anger was blunt. Born Again, a commentary account with about 12,800 followers, called it "another day, another salary increase for those at the top while millions of South Africans struggle to survive." The post drew more than 300 likes and 150 reposts.

https://x.com/Born_Again_Man/status/2120184036484083752

The fight is not new. When last year's raises came through in January, a [Reddit thread on r/southafrica](https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/comments/1qi3c5o/ramaphosa_approves_salary_hike_for_judges_mps/) about the 3.8% and 4.1% increases drew the same complaint. Semafor [reported Wednesday](https://www.semafor.com/article/11/11/2026/south-africas-unemployment-crisis-worsens-with-anger-spilling-into-politics) that more than four in five jobseekers have been out of work for at least a year, and that anger over jobs is spilling into politics and the migration debate.

## What comes next

The pay commission's [wage bill conference](https://x.com/PresidencyZA/status/2120413952043827680) runs in Durban on Nov. 11 and 12. One session on Wednesday was a research briefing titled "The Price of Public Office," the Presidency posted. Unions want the 3.5% reversed, but nothing in the Presidency's statement points to a rethink.

For US readers, the contrast is sharp. American layoffs [recently matched a 57-year low](/news/jobless-claims-lowest-since-1969). In South Africa, one in three people who want work and are looking cannot find it. Even with a below-inflation raise, an ordinary MP's yearly pay rise of R46,438 is a sore point in that economy.