The youth unemployment has been the number one challenge in South Africa (SA) for long now. It is a socioeconomic challenge that has triggered other social evils like high crime rate and prostitution. This problem is even more prevalent among the poor and the middle-income segment of the population. According to the 2013 data, the jobless rate in SA stood at 63% among the youths. The state of youth unemployment in South Africa is a perennial problem that results from a failure of policies.
It is estimated that one-third of those aged 14 to 24 are jobless and are not in any active education or training. This situation results mainly from the prevailing economic conditions. The personality trait also has a major contribution to the joblessness situation. Most of these people have low levels of education, the majority having dropped out of school at early age.
Most of these youths have low levels of education, the majority having dropped out of school at an early age. As a result, the most have poor communication skills, lack work experience; low literacy levels and lacks saleable technical skills. As a result, they are simply lacking the traits that the employers desire. This is a result of years of structural failures in policies and discrimination in different segments of the population.
The policies that had been put in place were all supply-side initiatives. These are the initiatives that address the structural causes of the problem. These are mainly directed at equipping youngsters with the necessary skills required for the job. They include upgrading of the formal education system to absorb more people, targeting-post school training, deployment programs and the public employment.
The Community Work Program (CWP) is a good example. It started in 2008 is designed as an employment safety net. It targets to supplement the livelihood by guaranteeing the job that offers some basic salary. It copies from the renowned Indian program known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). It is a program that targets to raise the standards of living among the poor.
The Public Deployment Program implemented through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) targets the unemployed and unskilled youths. It lasts for 12 months, and then the graduates are expected to be employed in the public sectors such as the police service, the armed forces, and other relevant industries.
There is also the National Rural Youth Service Corps that is being implemented in phases. The first phase was in 2010. It lasts for 2 years and involves intensive training with the aim of impacting skills of those being trained. The graduates are then expected to undertake community development projects and are paid by the government.
In addition to the supply side policies, there are a number of demand-side policies that target the employer. In order to stimulate the demand on the labor market, employment subsidy has been proposed. It targets to compensate the employers on the cost used to train the new employees.There are several other proposals on the table, however, all interventions must take into consideration the structural complexity presented by unemployment statistics in South Africa.
It is estimated that one-third of those aged 14 to 24 are jobless and are not in any active education or training. This situation results mainly from the prevailing economic conditions. The personality trait also has a major contribution to the joblessness situation. Most of these people have low levels of education, the majority having dropped out of school at early age.
Most of these youths have low levels of education, the majority having dropped out of school at an early age. As a result, the most have poor communication skills, lack work experience; low literacy levels and lacks saleable technical skills. As a result, they are simply lacking the traits that the employers desire. This is a result of years of structural failures in policies and discrimination in different segments of the population.
The policies that had been put in place were all supply-side initiatives. These are the initiatives that address the structural causes of the problem. These are mainly directed at equipping youngsters with the necessary skills required for the job. They include upgrading of the formal education system to absorb more people, targeting-post school training, deployment programs and the public employment.
The Community Work Program (CWP) is a good example. It started in 2008 is designed as an employment safety net. It targets to supplement the livelihood by guaranteeing the job that offers some basic salary. It copies from the renowned Indian program known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). It is a program that targets to raise the standards of living among the poor.
The Public Deployment Program implemented through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) targets the unemployed and unskilled youths. It lasts for 12 months, and then the graduates are expected to be employed in the public sectors such as the police service, the armed forces, and other relevant industries.
There is also the National Rural Youth Service Corps that is being implemented in phases. The first phase was in 2010. It lasts for 2 years and involves intensive training with the aim of impacting skills of those being trained. The graduates are then expected to undertake community development projects and are paid by the government.
In addition to the supply side policies, there are a number of demand-side policies that target the employer. In order to stimulate the demand on the labor market, employment subsidy has been proposed. It targets to compensate the employers on the cost used to train the new employees.There are several other proposals on the table, however, all interventions must take into consideration the structural complexity presented by unemployment statistics in South Africa.