Millions of young South Africans are jobless: study finds that giving them ‘soft’ skills like networking helps their prospects

Chijioke Nwosu, Alexis Habiyaremye and Thomas Habanabakize

THE fact that more than half of the South African population is under 30 years could be beneficial for the country’s economic growth and development. But South Africa has not been able to reap this demographic dividend. This is largely due to a skills mismatch.

That’s why 60% of its young people (between the ages of 15 and 25) are unemployed. The situation was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact on the labour market disproportionately affected young and low-skilled workers.

A major cause of youth unemployment in South Africa is the mismatch between what employers want and what young people have. This is mostly characterised by technical under-skilling relative to the expectations of employers.

The country’s schooling system has failed young people, with many learners going through the basic education system without acquiring the necessary literacy and numeracy skills.

In response to the unemployment crisis, the South African government established the National Rural