South Africa Jobless Rate Climbs Even Before Tariff Blow Lands

South Africa’s unemployment rate increased to a year high in the second quarter, as agriculture, finance and the community and social service sectors lost jobs while more people looked for work.

The jobless rate increased to 33.2% in the three months through June, compared with 32.9% in the prior quarter, according to data released by Statistics South Africa in the capital, Pretoria, on Tuesday. The median estimate of three economists in a Bloomberg survey was 32.9%.