Cape Town adds 113 000 jobs year-on-year, SA’s highest gain

17 February 2026

The City of Cape Town has added 113 000 jobs year-on-year - the highest of the metros – with employment now at an all-time record level of 1,895 million people working in the Mother City. Cape Town also continues to lead South Africa’s cities with the lowest unemployment rate, now down to 19,8%. This is according to StatsSA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Q4 2025.

‘We are elated to see employment hit record levels in Cape Town, with 470 000 jobs added over the current local government term.
 
‘Cape Town’s leading jobs growth and lowest unemployment rate is an encouraging sign that our city keeps heading in the right direction, even though there is still so much more to do in bringing down unemployment.
 
‘Our mission is to build a city of hope for all and, to keep making progress, we are investing in a South African-record R40 bn in infrastructure over three years. Importantly, 75% of this spending will directly benefit lower income households, ensuring reliable infrastructure and service delivery into the future for Capetonians.
 
‘We are especially overjoyed for everyone who found a job in the last year and can now make a meaningful difference for their families. Our promise is to keep working at growing employment so that many more Capetonians can experience the dignity of work and a pathway out of poverty,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
 
Cape Town’s unemployment rate fell below 20% for the first time since 2009, with the city showing rapid job gains in the fourth quarter of 2025, likely underpinned by strong tourism sector performance. The metro showed improvements across all employment indicators, including labour participation rate, absorption rate, overall employment, and lower unemployment.
 
‘I’m thrilled that Cape Town continues to add jobs at a record pace. This is a clear sign that our strategy to focus on high-growth sectors, including manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, construction, technology, and financial services, is paying off.
 
‘Through our Special Purpose Vehicle partnership programmes, we’ve been helping businesses set up, scale operations, and provide meaningful employment, while investing in skills training that makes business sense. These are the type of programmes that directly create opportunities for Capetonians, and seeing this translate into real jobs is incredibly rewarding.
 
‘We still have a long way to go, but this shows that when strategy is deployed effectively in the economy, it delivers results that improve people’s lives,’ said Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.
 
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office