Public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson says South Africa is “becoming a construction site” as the industry continues to create thousands of jobs despite the rising unemployment rate.
“The construction sector added 20,000 jobs in the second quarter and 55,000 jobs year-on-year — a 4.6% increase. This is proof that we are turbocharging the construction sector that drives jobs and growth in South Africa,” Macpherson said.
He made the remarks on an X post after the release of Stats SA's quarterly labour force survey (QLFS) for the second quarter of 2025, which showed mixed results across industries.
According to Stats SA, the number of people employed in the formal sector increased by 34,000 in Q2 and the informal sector employment decreased by 19,000 over the same period. The largest industry increases in employment were recorded in:
- trade (88,000);
- private households (28,000); and
- construction (20,000).
Year-on-year comparisons painted a more positive picture with a net increase of 154,000 jobs, driven mainly by gains in:
- finance (+79,000);
- construction (+55,000);
- transport (+51,000); and
- community and social services (+45,000).
The biggest annual job losses came from:
- private households (-54,000);
- trade (-45,000); and
- mining (-23,000).
Men dominate the construction workforce. The QLFS revealed that construction remains heavily male-dominated, with men making up 88.6% of workers in Q2. In the past year, men accounted for more than 90% of the new jobs created in the industry, gaining 50,000 jobs (+4.7%), while women added just 5,000 (+3.6%).
Stats SA also showed that quarter-on-quarter the sector’s growth was entirely male-driven as men gained 23,000 jobs (+2.1%), while women lost 4,000 (-2.7%).
Overall, Q2 recorded 1,115,000 men employed in construction compared with 144,000 women.
The report also showed unemployment increased despite job gains in several industries. The official unemployment rate rose from 31.9% to 33.3% in Q2.
“The number of employed people increased by 19,000 to 16.8-million and the number of unemployed people increased by 140,000 to 8.4-million compared with Q1,” Stats SA reported.
The number of discouraged work-seekers fell by 28,000 (down 0.8%), while the number of people not economically active for other reasons remained unchanged.
Compared with the same period last year:
- the working-age population grew by 526,000 (+1.3%);
- total employment increased by 154,000 (+0.9%);
- unemployment dropped by 16,000; and
- those not economically active rose by 388,000 (+2.4%).
Stats SA noted six of 10 industries shed jobs in the second quarter, underscoring the fragility of South Africa’s labour market.
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