Foundations For Youth Unemployment In South Africa

By Elaine Guthrie


Unemployment is a common problem all around the world. The factors leading to unemployment especially among the youth are common factors. This article discusses the cause of youth unemployment in South Africa and how they can be solved.

The number one cause factor is the education system. The system does not equip them with the necessary skills that make them aggressive in life or in the job market. Education is more than learning facts. Students should be taught how to take care of themselves and the values that are important for one to succeed in life.

The other cause of unemployment is location and travel. A large number of citizens live far from their place of work. There is no cheap means of transport that the large workforce can use to reach where they work. The cost of travel is also high thus; they cannot work and spend three quarters of the salary on travel.

High poverty level is another major cause of unemployment in Africa Leave alone South Africa. Poverty keeps away the people from humble begging far away from school. These people cannot afford to raise money to pay for a diploma or degree course. They end up staying at home and get discouraged about life. In addition, these courses are very expensive so if you do not have the money to pay for them, you will have to settle for less marketable courses such as a certificate.

The young people lack the right skills to work in every industry or sector in a country. Agriculture is underdeveloped since the people do not have right skills. There are plenty of opportunities in this sector that can be massive employers of the young people. The government should aim at establishing training facilities that will encourage investment in the under developed sectors.

Social and cultural factors are also to blame for the high number of youth unemployment. It is a fact that unemployment is huge only among the youth, the reason for this is because there is pessimism over securing a job. Also along history of broken families, drug abuse and crime has locked out the youth. Youths who engage in the above vices cannot hold a job even if they got one.

Unrealistic expectations among the youth have discouraged much form getting a job. This has in turn led to many youths quitting or not applying for jobs. For example, most college graduates believe that they should earn a high salary as they start working for a company. The truth of the matter is that companies offer a low starting wage. This has frustrated the youths, as they do not want to accept the low salary first

Joblessness causes people to turn into crime, prostitution and other negative activities. These vices affect the future generations. It will be more costly to repair the situation now instead of waiting for the issues to escalate.




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