The official unemployment rate increased by 0,1% point to 33,7% in the third quarter of this year.
This is despite an increase of employed people by 101,000, to a current 16,8 million.
Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) said discouraged job seekers also increased by 70,000 to 3,7 million.
Desiree Manamela, Chief Director of Labour Statistics at StatsSA, said in a statement, formal jobs increased by 268,000 to a current 12,3 million.
Increases in employment were in the finance sector, manufacturing and mining, while the largest losses of jobs were in private households, agriculture and construction.
Most people were employed in the Western Cape (48,000), North West (45,000), Eastern Cape (36,000) and Gauteng (25,000).
The most job losses were recorded in the Free State (34,000) and Mpumalanga (30,000).
Picture: UASA.