Youth Unemployment In SA
The Stats Don't Paint a Pretty Picture
We all know that it can be hard to find work in South Africa but young people are the ones facing the biggest challenges finding work these days with record numbers now sitting without work.
Young People Without Work
Stats SA has released new stats tracking unemployment in South Africa (see above).
They track both those (1) looking for work and (2) those who have given up trying to look.
Overall, those who could be working but are not (for a variety of reasons) adds up to 40% of the working age population.
That means out of every 10 people, 4 are sitting without work.
When you begin to look deeper into the stats, what becomes clear is that younger people are the most in trouble. They seem to be struggling to even enter the job market. This means they are having to stay at home longer and are more likely to give up looking for work than other groups.
With less young people working it also creates challenges for the tax base, social services (like pensions for older people) and institutions like banks who wish to get people using credit. Since these younger people are unemployed, they are simply not spending and not eligible for credit.
In many other countries where there are high rates of unemployment, young people are getting jobs and it is more often older ones who find themselves out of work. Figures for youth unemployment seldom go higher than 30% even in extreme cases.
Currently there are 21 million people in SA under the age of 35. Of these, 50% are unemployed.
For those 25 years and younger that rate goes up to 60%.
These are very scary stats and include those who have already gone and got themselves into debt for a higher education. It is so hard to find work as a younger person that many have simply given up.
It is said that of those without work, 20% have now just given up on finding work at all. They are so discouraged that they are not even looking or trying to start small businesses of their own.
Keep Trying. Persistence Pays Off
If you are unemployed then know that you are not alone and you are not the problem. This is a huge systemic issue facing everyone in the country and matters are being made worse by ever improving technology.
Please keep looking and keep searching. Take advantage of any programs offered by local government or the municipality and work within your network of family and friends to find or more likely create work opportunities.
