Youth Unemployment in South Africa: A Call for Urgent Action

Youth development organisation Afrika Tikkun highlights the latest findings from Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), showing a small but encouraging decrease in youth unemployment. The official unemployment rate dropped slightly by 0.2 percentage points to 31.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024, while youth unemployment declined from 45.5% to 44.6%.

Despite this improvement, 4.7 million young South Africans remain unemployed. Afrika Tikkun welcomes the marginal gains but stresses that the current crisis demands an intensified and aggressive response.

Marian Claite, COO at Afrika Tikkun Services, emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration between the government, corporate sector, NGOs, and civil society. “Having nearly half of our young people unemployed remains fundamentally unacceptable. We welcome the slight improvement in youth employment figures, but the employment gains are not enough.”

Last week, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, presented promising results from the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) at Afrika Tikkun’s Mfuleni Centre in the Western Cape. Since its launch in 2020, PYEI has made significant progress in transitioning young South Africans from learning to earning through innovative public-private partnerships.

Solutions and Call for Action

Afrika Tikkun believes that the success of PYEI demonstrates the potential of collaborative efforts. Claite reiterated that their Cradle-to-Career Programme aligns with this mission by equipping young people with the skills required by the labour market.

The organisation also highlighted the Jobs Boost programme, developed in partnership with PYEI, as a crucial initiative tackling unemployment. However, they stress that the sheer scale of youth unemployment requires a more aggressive, coordinated response across all sectors of society.

To accelerate progress, Afrika Tikkun calls for:

• The establishment of a dedicated Youth Economic Participation Fund with substantial resources to address unemployment comprehensively.
• Development of innovative funding mechanisms to support youth entrepreneurship and small business development.
• Enhanced funding for skills development programmes to equip young people with in-demand skills.
• Significant scaling of youth employment incentive schemes to create more job opportunities.
• Increased prioritisation of support for youth-owned businesses, ensuring sustainable employment solutions.

A 30-Year Legacy of Impact

As Afrika Tikkun celebrates its 30-year legacy of creating sustainable impact, it continues to witness firsthand the devastating effects of generational poverty. Through its award-winning Cradle-to-Career 360° model, the organisation has made significant strides in addressing systemic unemployment and providing young South Africans with pathways to meaningful employment.

While recent improvements in youth employment are promising, Afrika Tikkun and other stakeholders urge immediate and sustained action to ensure long-term economic stability and opportunity for South Africa’s youth.

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