Ntshavheni: Foreign-born people in South Africa twice as likely to be employed as locals

New Stats SA figures show sharp employment gap between foreign-born and locally born people

Delivering the Stats SA Vote 14 2026/2027 Budget Debate in Parliament, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said recent Statistics South Africa data shows foreign-born people in South Africa are significantly more likely to be employed than locally born citizens.

Key statistics

Ntshavheni cited the Statistics South Africa figures, saying the unemployment rate for foreign-born persons as of 2022 was 18.2%, while the unemployment rate for locally born persons was 34%. She said this meant “the unemployment rate of foreign-born persons is almost half compared to that of locally born persons.”

She added that Stats SA’s migration module found the absorption rate of foreign-born persons was 64% compared with 37.7% for locally born persons, meaning “foreign-born persons were twice as likely to be employed in South Africa than locally born persons.”

Government response and policy direction

Ntshavheni made the remarks amid rising anti-foreign national sentiment in the country and said Cabinet had instructed the Department of Employment and Labour to intensify workplace inspections in sectors considered vulnerable to the hiring of undocumented foreign nationals, including hospitality, agriculture, trucking and construction.

She said Cabinet also directed municipalities to enforce municipal by-laws, with priority on trading by-laws, and urged South Africans to refrain from sub-leasing business licences.

Ntshavheni said government is moving ahead with reforms in the revised White Paper on Immigration. She outlined measures that include a “first country of safety principle”, relocating refugee reception centres closer to border areas and empowering departments to “designate certain trades, professions, and businesses only for South Africans and refugees”.

Labour market trends and concerns

Referencing the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Ntshavheni said Stats SA reported employment decreased by 345,000 to 16.8 million in the first quarter of 2026 compared to 17.1 million in the previous quarter.

She rejected the view that rising unemployment was simply the result of more first-time job seekers entering the labour market, saying the argument did not hold because the country experienced a decline in the number of employed persons.

On data and public debate

Ntshavheni emphasised the importance of official statistics for policy and public discourse.

“Official statistics replace speculation with facts and rhetoric with reality,” Ntshavheni said. “We call on South Africans to allow facts to guide our national discourse. Let us choose evidence over noise, facts over fiction, and data over doubt.”

She acknowledged that despite government plans for infrastructure investment and investment pledges, unemployment remains a major challenge driving inequality and poverty.