# Agricultural Business Chamber’s Wandile Sihlobo says employment in the agricultural sector fell by about four-percent between the second and third quarters of 2026, but the sector remains resilient. South Africa’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 33.7-percent in the third quarter, up from 33.6-percent in the previous quarter, according to Statistics South Africa. Sihlobo says employment stands at 911-thousand, well above the long-term average of 800-thousand. He says farmers face rising input costs, fuel and fertiliser, which are putting pressure on the sector.
Farm jobs dip 4%, but sector stays resilient