CoE-HUMAN Projects in 2022 Youth Unemployment Survey

This 2022 Socio-Ecological and Transformational Development Project explored young South African adults’ perspectives around youth unemployment in South Africa.

The youth unemployment situation in South Africa (SA) has reached critical stages with an ominously high and increasing number of unemployed youths contributing to excessive poverty and inequality levels. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) published by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) in the First Quarter of 2022, young people still struggle in the South African labour market. The official unemployment rate was 34,6%, with an unemployment rate of 46,3% among young people aged 15-34 years. The burden of unemployment is also concentrated amongst the youth as they account for 59,5% of the total number of unemployed persons. While the prevalence of unemployment and trends in the last few years differ by age band within the youth group category, there is no doubt that unemployment in young South Africans is a constant national burden that has proven highly intractable over the last ten years.

Given the dire youth unemployment climate in SA, the purpose of this survey was to:

 Understand the youth’s perspectives on the drivers of youth unemployment, alongside their awareness and engagement with employment initiatives (YEIs) and the gig economy in SA post-COVID-19.

 Explore how ‘in control’ young SA adults view their employment situation and what their perceptions are on the role of ‘luck’ in finding work.

 Broaden the understanding surrounding the intricate nature of youth unemployment whilst additionally providing insight to potentially enhance policy formation directed specifically towards improving the socio-economic climate for the cohort.

The results showed that:

 Young adults emphasised that there are employment, education, and individual-related obstacles that make it difficult for them to find employment.

Young people attributed having a good family life, being successful in work, and finding purpose and meaning in life, as the most important life goals.

 Participants with an undergraduate or postgraduate degree were more likely to have a job, be aware of YEIs, and have experience of digital gig economy platforms, primarily as consumers of services rather than as a source of employment. This indicates that those most vulnerable to unemployment are also potentially those that are least aware of proemployment initiatives and opportunities.

This study specifically responds to the Future of Society priority area in the 2021-2031 DSI STI Decadal Plan as it investigates the pressing challenge of youth unemployment in South Africa, and youth at risk of being socio-economically excluded and not playing a meaningful role in national growth and development.