Analysts say most young people around the world struggled to break into the job market when starting out but youth unemployment in South Africa is unusually high at 54%.
As workers and trade union organisations celebrate International Workers’ Day, youth unemployment in South Africa has reached crisis proportions.
The majority of the unemployed in the country is made up of young people between the ages of 15 to 34, with 6% in possession of a tertiary qualification.
Independent Labour Analyst Mike Schussler says unemployment can have an adverse psychological impact.
He says: “In South Africa’s case, where we have reached 57%, it is really unusually high and it is unsustainable in the sense that, that’s where a lot of the pressures on our society come from.”
“When you do not have a job, especially when you start out, it does take away a lot of hope, pride and dignity. It really impacts disproportionately the youth of South Africa.”
