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In a brutal first quarter for South Africa’s labour market, where national unemployment surged and hundreds of thousands of jobs vanished, the Western Cape has emerged as the only province to make significant strides in growing employment.

The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa paints a grim picture: 291,000 jobs lost quarter-on-quarter across the country, with major employment sectors like Trade, Construction, and Community and Social Services taking significant hits. National unemployment rose sharply to 32.9%, while the expanded unemployment rate climbed to 43.1%.

And yet, amid this jobs bloodbath, the Western Cape recorded a quarter-on-quarter employment increase of 49,000 jobs — the largest gain of any province — and a year-on-year increase of 121,000.

This resilience did not happen by chance.

The Western Cape continues to outperform the rest of South Africa on every major labour market indicator. Our official unemployment rate stands at 19.6%—a full 13 percentage points below the national average. Our expanded unemployment rate is the lowest in the country at 24.7%, and our labour force participation rate is the highest in South Africa at 69.6%. These numbers hold real meaning, they reflect a working province, where opportunity, investment, and economic inclusion are priorities.

The contrast with ANC-governed provinces is stark. KwaZulu-Natal, for example, shed 104,000 jobs this quarter alone and saw its official unemployment rate rise by 3.7 percentage points to 32.3%. The Eastern Cape’s unemployment climbed to a devastating 39.3%. Gauteng, once the economic powerhouse of the country, eked out a paltry 9,000 jobs—despite sitting on major infrastructure, capital and industry.

Though this is partly expected as global markets are volatile, growth forecasts are being revised downward, and the spectre of a global trade war looms large, it is clear that stable, capable, and accountable governance is more critical than ever. This is where DA delivers.

The DA-led Western Cape is the only province that has implemented a serious and evidence-based strategy to tackle unemployment. Our Growth for Jobs economic action plan is a roadmap to development. We are prioritising high-growth sectors like manufacturing (up 30,000 quarter-on-quarter and 27,000 year-on-year), agriculture (up 51,000 quarter-on-quarter), and finance (up 8,000 quarter-on-quarter and 49,000 year-on-year). Notably, the Western Cape was the only province that saw no net job losses in the construction sector, while other provinces saw major contractions.

This performance speaks to a government that backs its people with pragmatic policies, public-private partnerships, and a commitment to clean governance. While the ANC government presides over policy incoherence and investor flight, the Western Cape continues to attract talent, build infrastructure, and stimulate enterprise.

The fight against unemployment — especially youth unemployment, which remains at crisis levels nationally — requires more than promises. It requires leadership. The QLFS confirms what many South Africans are seeing firsthand: where the DA governs, the economy works.

Issued by Noko Masipa, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism