The Youth Labour Market in South Africa

Unemployment has been a stubborn challenge in South Africa, with at least a quarter of the labour force unemployed for most of the past twenty-five years. For youth the transition from schooling to work has not been smooth, resulting in about half of youth wanting jobs not finding employment. This chapter begins by highlighting the key features of the youth labour market. The discussion then turns to reasons for the relatively high youth unemployment rate, such as insufficient number of jobs and spatial planning. An account of implemented policies and interventions to address youth unemployment is then given. The chapter makes the point that economic growth is key to reducing youth unemployment on a large scale but that there are various measures that have been found to be effective in relieving the plight of unemployed youth in South Africa.