Absa Ready to Work / Jul 2025 / In-Image AI

Employers must define entry-level skills to combat youth unemployment | Youth Unemployment Crisis

Some 10 million South Africans – the younger generation of between 15 and 24 years of age – face the highest barriers to entering the workforce, with unemployment figures significantly outpacing that of older youth.

Recent research by Statistics South Africa showed that half of all those between 15 and 24 were unemployed in 2015. Ten years later, and this number has jumped to 62.4%.

For all youngsters aged 25 to 34, the rate increased from 31.4% to 40.4% over the same period, the agency said. In 2015, the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 34 was 36.9%. A decade later, it had jumped 9.2 percentage points.

Stats SA sheds light on a key issue within this crisis, youth with experience outperform youth without experience by a margin of 4 to 1. Initiatives such as experiential learning, apprenticeships, or other forms of exposure to the workplace have far-reaching implications in addressing the scourge of youth unemployment.

However, even after graduating and going through an internship, it's not guaranteed that the graduates will remain employed. Candidates who were not absorbed by companies during their training go back to the job-seeking pool and encounter challenges of having to meet certain levels of experience to be considered.

In a country grappling with high unemployment rates, companies often use experience even in entry-level positions to narrow down the applicant pool, particularly when faced with a large number of applications.

This approach, motivated by the goal of sifting through extensive applicant pools to identify top-performing candidates, can be disheartening for those stepping into the workforce for the first time. Essentially, demanding experience for entry-level positions creates an obstacle for those who haven't yet had the chance to acquire it.