Every number on VUKA, and how old it is
We publish our own audit. Each figure below shows where it came from, which period it covers, when we last checked it and how confident we are. Anything older than six months is flagged red and is next in the queue.
3 figures are older than six months and needs re-verification.
| Statistic | Source | Tier | Checked | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9 provinces Provincial unemployment table Awaiting the Q2:2026 provincial breakdown. The official rate rose in six of nine provinces in Q2:2026. | Stats SA QLFS Q1:2024 | Amber | 01 Jun 2024 | 28 mo old |
~7% SA adults holding a university degree | DHET PSET statistics 2024 | Gold | 01 Nov 2025 | 11 mo old |
58% Share of SA jobs located in Gauteng Provincial employment shares have not been rebuilt on the Q2:2026 release yet. | Stats SA QLFS Q1:2024 | Amber | 01 Nov 2025 | 11 mo old |
33.6% National unemployment (official) | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
62.8% Youth unemployment, 15–24 | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
47.4% Youth unemployment, 15–34 | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
36.4% NEET rate, 15–24 About 3.8 million of 10.4 million young people are in neither work, education nor training. | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
12.4% Graduate unemployment Still far below the national rate (33.6%) and the no-matric rate (39.2%). | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
39.2% Unemployment without matric | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
8.5m Unemployed people | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
16.7m Employed people | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
43.8% LU3 — unemployed plus potential labour force | Stats SA QLFS Q2:2026 | Gold | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
84% Employers who can't find the skills they need REVIEW: re-check Xpatweb after 30 September 2026 — the 2026 survey closes then; 2025 is the latest complete result. | Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey 2025 | Silver | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
R470k+ Top graduate starting salary | SAGEA Employer Benchmark 2025 | Silver | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
>50% Skills mismatch — worst of 30 countries measured | GTAC / OECD 2024 | Bronze | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
15% SA graduates in STEM (OECD average 23%) | OECD Education at a Glance 2025 | Bronze | 07 Sept 2026 | 1 mo old |
Review list
- Re-check Xpatweb Critical Skills (2026 survey closes)After 30 Sep 2026
- Verify SAGEA 2026 Employer Benchmark against homepage Fact 04 (Pure Maths finding)Now
- Review AI placements growth figure (96%, Q4:2024–Q1:2025, Pnet via Regenesys)Now — 18 months old
- Next QLFS release: Q3:2026Expected November 2026
How to update
All of these live in one file. Change the value, period and checked date there and every page on VUKA updates with it — including the verification stamps shown next to each number.