Cape Town Adds 40 000 Jobs – Highest Growth Among SA’s Big Cities
By: Staff Reporter
Cape Town has created 40 000 new jobs in the last three months, the highest increase among South Africa’s major cities. According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (Q3 2025), the city also added 70 000 jobs over the past year and continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 21.6%.
In total, about 1.8 million Capetonians are now employed.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said he is encouraged by Cape Town’s strong job growth. “I’m especially happy for all Capetonians who found work over the last year, especially those working for the first time. Jobs mean dignity and the ability to provide for your family. Cape Town aims to be a city of hope that helps more people move from poverty into work,” he said.
The mayor added that there is still a lot more to do to fight unemployment. To support further growth, the City will invest R40 billion in infrastructure over the next three years, which is expected to create 130 000 construction-related jobs. About 75% of this spending will benefit low-income households, improving infrastructure and services across Cape Town.
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, explained four key ways the City is boosting job creation:
- Releasing City land for new commercial, residential, and mixed-use developments that create construction jobs.
- Supporting local businesses through the Business Retention and Expansion programme, which covers 33 industrial areas and helps industries like manufacturing to grow.
- Making it easier to do business through the City’s Ease of Doing Business Index, encouraging companies to expand and hire more workers.
- Building skills pipelines in fast-growing sectors such as business process outsourcing (BPO), which added over 10 000 jobs last year.
“These steps show that practical actions can unlock opportunities, grow the economy, and create real jobs for Capetonians,” Vos said.
