As South Africa marks Youth Month, new labour market data shows young people continue to face steep barriers to work, training, and economic participation.
As South Africa marks Youth Month and commemorates 50 years since the Soweto uprising, new labour market data has again laid bare the difficult reality facing young people trying to enter the workforce.
According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2026, only about three in 10 South Africans aged 15 to 24 who want to work currently have a job.
Youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 reached 45.8% in Q1:2026, while about 3.9 million young people aged 15 to 24, representing 37.6% of this age group, were not in employment, education, or training.
The figures come as Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela this week briefed the media on the phasing out of certain pre-2009 qualifications and the move towards occupational qualifications, as part of efforts to better align education, training, and the labour market.
