Young people want to work, not wait!

According to research done by Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a social enterprise, the only long-term, sustainable solution to our youth unemployment crisis—deep economic regeneration—remains frustratingly elusive for South Africa’s 17.5 million young people. While the latest QLFS figures suggest that youth employment has improved over the past year, we are yet to return to pre-Covid levels of employment, let alone see the levels of job-rich growth our economy needs.

As our youth population grows faster than the jobs available, many data points are heading in the wrong direction: every second young South African aged 18-34 is Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET). Among African women under 35 who eventually get a job, the average age at which they get that first job has increased from 24 years to 25 years (QLFS 2014 and 2024). Furthermore, according to Harambee’s own data, job stability has decreased, with average job duration dropping from 10 months to 6 months after Covid-19, across public employment programmes, formal sector and self-employment. Self-generated hustles are even more precarious, with an average duration of only 3 months.

Against this backdrop, some argue that until we build the economy we want—an economy of plentiful, secure, accessible entry-level jobs—there’s little point to investing in work interventions. But a deeper look at the data shows that view is not only wrong, but dangerous for today’s youth. In the absence of an economy that grows, we can create an economy that moves, by improving access to the jobs of today, enabling short term work experiences to be more effective and available to young people, and making opportunities visible and accessible, improving transitions between them through pathway management (what SA Youth sets out to do). It is vital we keep young people moving, strategically and with support, within the economy we have—not letting them stagnate waiting for the economy we want.

In the absence of enough stable, long-term employment to go round, this zig-zagging and circulation is a good thing. We know from our experience that getting work experience early can positively impact income mobility, whilst delays have the opposite impact. Working also provides essential non-income related benefits, such as improved mental health and providing structure to people’s lives.1 Every part of the economy has a role to play, acting as a stepping stone, signpost or safety harness at different times in a young person’s journey.

The formal sector is the “top layer” of our employment mix: the source of stable, well-paying work that keeps young people motivated to build their employability. Transitions into the formal sector from other work opportunities are associated with income mobility. They tend to pay better and have a longer duration than other work opportunities. Our research has shown that if a young person has been employed for a year, the probability of them having a job in 1 years’ time is double that of someone who has worked for only 30 days. But the vast majority of entry level contracts are for fixed, short durations as employers are using structured programmes (learnerships, Youth Employment Service, fixed term contracts) as an entry-level recruitment strategy. So in the formal economy, our mandate is to ensure that these roles are accessible to as many young people as possible, and set up to give them the best chance of success – vs. it being a lottery ticket to a lucky few.

Public employment programmes are the next layer, and in South Africa, it is a vital one. In most upper-middle-income countries (UMIC) with small formal sectors, the informal economy is large, diverse and offers decent earning potential. That is not the case here. Without a well-developed informal sector, government-funded public works programmes offer young people essential, first-time work and income generation opportunities, and keep them engaged in the labour force. The work itself is valuable: research points . The impact of productivity gains in these government-funded short term opportunities. Our data shows that these programmes, if well administered, address the most excluded – those who would not have found work, even if growth had been job-rich.

The informal economy is sometimes the only gateway to work for young people who are geographically cut off from other opportunities. It acts as an important fall-back or income bridge for those yet to land a formal sector or public works contract, or coming to the end of one. And, with increasing digitisation of the economy, it can open doors to real entrepreneurship.

In the absence of an economy that grows, we can create an economy that moves. By increasing upward momentum between these layers, we can make sure the vast majority of youth will work at least once before the age of 30. Momentum will come from:

Improving access to the jobs of today – i.e. prioritise inclusive hiring
Enabling short term work experiences to be more effective and available to young people.
Making opportunities visible and accessible, improving transitions between them through pathway management (what SA Youth sets out to do)

WHO WE ARE

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a not-for-profit social enterprise that works with partners to find solutions for the challenge of youth unemployment. Our partners who, like us, are committed to results that can work at scale – include government, the private sector, civil society, and over 3.8 million youth. We are working to unlock jobs and break down the barriers that keep millions of young South Africans unemployed. Our vision is of a growing economy and a society that works, powered by the potential of young people. Harambee is an anchor partner in a breakthrough platform called SA Youth which brings together many partners to create a single national network to allow young people to access a wide selection of jobs and skilling opportunities, and for opportunity holders to access young engaged work-seekers – for free!

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