Youth unemployment remains one of the top challenges facing South Africans today. Surprising though, it is not a new problem. The problem persists every year, thanks to the rapidly increasing population. Today, the government figures, but the rate of youth unemployment in South Africa at 63% by 2013. This problem is mainly as a result of structural failures over decades.
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.
Other traits that are saleable in the labor market such as good communication skills, work experience, literacy, and technical skills are often missing. This situation resulted from decades of structural failures in the side of the government.
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.
Like many other countries, South Africa has a well-developed program under the National Rural Youth Service Corps burner. The first face was in September of 2010 and the second phase is to begin soon. The program requires a 2 year intensive training after which the trainees are released to undertake the rural development projects. During this time, they are paid by the government and helps raise the living standards of the communities where they work while earning income.
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.
Other traits that are saleable in the labor market such as good communication skills, work experience, literacy, and technical skills are often missing. This situation resulted from decades of structural failures in the side of the government.
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.
Like many other countries, South Africa has a well-developed program under the National Rural Youth Service Corps burner. The first face was in September of 2010 and the second phase is to begin soon. The program requires a 2 year intensive training after which the trainees are released to undertake the rural development projects. During this time, they are paid by the government and helps raise the living standards of the communities where they work while earning income.
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.
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