Phophi Ramathuba, the premier of Limpopo, has expressed joy after the province’s unemployment rate dropped dramatically from 35% in the second quarter of 2025 to 29.8% in the third quarter.
According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, which was made public on Monday, Limpopo saw the biggest drop in unemployment of any province.
According to the report, Limpopo saw a remarkable 5.2 percentage point drop in unemployment, while the national rate dropped 1.2 percentage points to 31.9%.
“The official unemployment rate decreased in seven provinces between quarter two and quarter three of 2025,” according to Statistics SA.
“The largest decrease was recorded in Limpopo. Employment increases were mainly in the construction, services, and trade industries.”
Ramathuba welcomed the announcement, saying it affirms the province’s growing economic strength.
“We welcome the results of the quarter three Labour Force Survey, which affirm our earlier assessments regarding Limpopo’s economic growth trajectory.
“Our province’s contribution of 0.9% to the national GDP [gross domestic product] highlights the strides we are making as we work collectively to provide opportunities for our residents,” Ramathuba said.
Low-productivity jobs
Lindy Wilson, the DA member of the provincial legislature, said this slight improvement in employment statistics is fragile and built on weak foundations.
“This is driven largely by temporary or low-productivity jobs that do little to change people’s lives or restore dignity,” Wilson said.
“It is for this reason Limpopo will not break free from its unemployment crisis without sustained, inclusive growth in sectors that can deliver real, long-term work—such as mining and tourism, which should be engines of opportunity but continue to underperform.”
She added that “despite Limpopo’s rich endowment of platinum, chrome, coal, and phosphate, there has been no substantive recovery”.
“The province continues to fail to translate its mineral wealth into jobs, beneficiation, or industrial growth.
“Tourism, trade, and hospitality sectors contributed most to Limpopo’s quarterly employment rise, but the growth is largely seasonal and not backed by formal-sector expansion or capital investment.”
