#EmpowerTheYouth


Youth Unemployment in South Africa 

 


Unemployment among those aged 15-34 years stood at 46.3% and the rate was 9.3% among university graduates. Youth unemployment is one of South Africa’s most intractable challenges, made worse by COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic the unemployment rate (including people who had given up looking for work) was just under 70% for people aged 15 to 24.

A year later the rate has increased to 64,4%  despite government investments. So, it is crucial to understand what interventions are working. But how do we evaluate whether youth employment programmes are successful, particularly when unemployment is caused by the structure of the economy?

 

Causes of youth unemployment

 

  Poor Educational Level

There is a generally poor education level which is a mismatch of too much-unskilled labour and insufficient skilled labour. This has been worsened by the growth in tertiary sectors of the economy at the expense of primary (particularly mining and agriculture) at a rate that is way faster than the country can be retrained.

  The vicious circle of poverty

Those that have not been unemployed for long are nearly unemployable reasons been that their skill becomes rusty and degraded ability to perform effectively. (This is one of the major factors why periods of high cyclical unemployment can give rise to higher structural unemployment). This has been partly identified in terms of the need to employ workers especially youths early on, even at subsidized wages, to give them the work experience and skills to become employable in the future.

 Labour demand-supply mismatch

This is a serious issue in South Africa and an appropriate solution is yet to be provided for it. Labour supply is affected due to the increase in the number of job seekers over the years. The has been a rise, an increase in the rate of entry of women, especially African women. In addition, the South African population is a young population (high number of youths) more people gain employment and enter the working age as compared to the number of jobs that is available in the labour market.

  Role of trade union federations in government:

When there is a demand for the higher wage it may lead to a decline in new employment. There has been contention and argument erupting that the labour demands make the South African labour regime inflexible while others point to it as important to improve the quality of life through a living wage.

Please share your thoughts below. 



































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