YOUTH
UNEMPLOYMENY
Y
"Whereas in 2015 as many as 3.6million young people were
unemployed and actively looking
for work, a substantially lower
number of adults, 1.9-million,
YOUTH unemployment deteriorated between 2008 and the
were in that situation," Stats SA
first quarter of this year, and more young people have given up
said.
looking for work, Statistics SA's youth labour market report
Youth unemployment partly
showed on Monday.
reflects
population growth, and a
Of the approximately 19.7-million working-age youth (15 to 34
lack of job opportunities given
years), 9.8-million were not economically active, 6.2-million
pedestrian economic growth.
were employed, and 3.6-million were unemployed. The "not
The 1-million jobs created
economically active" include discouraged work-seekers, fullbetween 2008 and the first
time students, and homemakers.
quarter of this year were solely
"Over the period 2008–15, key labour market rates
on account of job gains among
deteriorated by a larger margin among youth compared with
adults while youth job losses of
adults, and the frustration of not finding employment has led
many young people to become discouraged and exit the labour 221,000 were recorded, the
report showed.
force altogether," Stats SA said.
The latest data indicate there is still a long way ahead for policy Youth unemployment has
increased since 2008 partly due
makers to implement economic-growth-inducing policies, as
well as boosting confidence among the private sector, which has to the global recession, rising
from 32.7% in 2008 to 36.1% in
the potential to grow businesses and create jobs.
The scarcity of job opportunities for youth was also reflected in 2011, and remained between 35%
lower absorption rates amon