We interrogate the distinction between searching and non-searching unemployment in South
Africa using data from the first national panel survey that tracks the individual. In particular,
we test whether the non-searching unemployed display a weaker commitment to the labour
market than the searching unemployed; and we investigate what counts as search activity.
We find that over the panel, the search status of the unemployed does not predict their
subsequent employment status, a result which is robust also for sub-samples that vary by age
cohort, gender and location. Moreover, social networks are the most important job-finding
strategy of the employed. These findings challenge the exclusion of the non-searching un-
employed from the measure of 'genuine' work-seekers.