In a speech on Youth Day on 16 June, which commemorates the 1976 uprisings of black school pupils against apartheid, President Cyril Ramaphosa said getting young people to work was his single biggest concern. “Young people are the force that drives a country and grows its economy,” he said.
Employment statistics released this month have shown that more young people than ever are out of work in South Africa.
Under the expanded definition of unemployment, 74.7% of school-leavers under the age of 24 are either looking for a job or have given up looking for a job, Statistics South Africa’s data has shown.
These figures were reflective of the national unemployment rate, which has reached an all-time high under the expanded definition, at 43.2%. Job creation is a major election issue, and with a local government poll set for October, these figures are of concern to the governing African
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