Nearly six in 10 unemployed young people have no previous work experience, creating a cycle in which employers seek experience while many young job seekers struggle to gain it.
As South Africa marks Youth Month, employers and youth development organisations say the qualities that get young people hired - adaptability, confidence, mentorship and real workplace exposure - are ones no lecture hall can reliably produce.
South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis is increasingly characterised by a disconnect between education and employment, according to Ariellah Rosenberg, chief executive of ORT SA.
“The crisis is not only unemployment. It is the collapse of the bridge between learning and earning,” Rosenberg said.
Statistics South Africa data shows millions of young South Africans remain unemployed, with young people being substantially less likely to find work than older adults.
