Predictions are not on the positive side of the spectrum with some economists expecting that the country’s already disheartening unemployment figures will rise. 

In February, South Africa’s unemployment rate was revealed to be 32.5% - the highest it’s ever been on the back of the Coronavirus pandemic. The figures will be unveiled at 11:00 am.

Whilst the debate on media platforms suggest that the number of unemployed graduates is high, Tashmia Ismail, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Service (YES), previously told the Business Hour that university graduates only constitute a mere 8% of the overall unemployment rate in South Africa.

Ismail says South Africans without a matric certificate or those with only a matric are in fact the most unemployed in the country - roughly 56% - and it is them that we need to focus on. YES is a joint national initiative between business, government and labour that aims to address the youth unemployment crisis in South Africa by providing 12-month quality work experiences to unemployed youth. Ismail encourages business owners to not just automatically hire university graduates, but rather take a risk on the unexpected.

The Central South African region, specifically the Free State and the Northern Cape, have in previous surveys been revealed to have some of the highest youth unemployment figures in the country.

OFM News