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Youth, Unemployment, and Opportunities

5th June 2019

By: Creamer Media Reporter

     

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This article has been supplied as a media statement and is not written by Creamer Media. It may be available only for a limited time on this website.

Our unemployment crisis is the highest it’s ever been. According to Trading Economics and Statistics South Africa (5/14/2019) the most recent studies in 2018/19 show the South African unemployment rate has risen to 27.6% in the first quarter of 2019, that is up from 27.1% in the previous period. According to LFP Group’s Company Secretary and Compliance Manager, Shawn Swiegers, when you really break it down to its rawest form this is more than a quarter of South Africa’s population without work.

“More staggering is the youth unemployment statistics (ages 15 to 34 years). The data research conducted by government organisation and web platform, Statistics South Africa shows that the unemployment rate is high for both youth and adults”.

In 2018, the youth unemployment rate was approximately 38.2% and this equates to more than one in three youths without work in the first quarter of 2018.

Youth unemployment is a global issue

“Youth unemployment is not unique to South Africa; it is a global phenomenon” says Shawn. According to Statistics South Africa (May 15, 2018), the South African youth remain vulnerable in the current labour market. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), in 2017, there were approximately 71 million unemployed global youth aged 15–24 years, many of which are facing long-term unemployment. “Many believe that one of the best ways of empowering a nation, strengthening an economy, and improving the level of competency within the workplace, is to provide education and upskilling. This has been proven time and time again”.

The state of our nation is highlighted by the recent elections, there is an increase in news coverage of unemployment in South Africa, and with Youth Month here the future is on our minds. “It's a great time to think about empowering the unemployed and South Africa’s young people, while pushing for change through education” Shawn urges. “Regardless of whether your company has capacity for new hires, you can still give the gift of education and by aligning this to the YES initiative (Youth Employment Services) your company reaps additional youth subsidies and rebates”.

Youths are disengaged and despondent

“Education is a basic right but according to Global Citizen, there are 10 problems that countries currently face. These include: a lack of funding, untrained teachers, lack of infrastructure, the distance from the home to the school, costs, exclusion of children living with disabilities as well as hunger and poor nutrition”.

For those who have however had access to quality tertiary education already, the thought of not being able to get a job brings with it a host of emotional and psychological consequences and as the job market continues to decline, youths become more and more disengaged.

“Social tension is on the rise. The minimum wage is low, and many skilled citizens are leaving the country” says Shawn.  

Employers are increasingly emphasising the need for young South Africans to be trained in ‘soft skills’ beyond the tangible ‘hard skills’ provided by qualifications. Sometimes referred to as professional skills, soft skills encompass strength in communication, team work and problem solving. The LFP Training Division ensures that each of their 9000 learners is instilled with soft skills, viewing these characteristics as an investment in the youth and understanding that soft skill proficiency is what sets a qualified candidate apart. Young South African’s who have managed to secure employment are encouraged to further their skills training online with the new LFP Campus Initiative

Empowering the Most Vulnerable of South Africans

Disabled South African’s make up about 7.5% of the country’s total population. A significant portion of these citizens are younger than 25 and are unemployed in addition to their disability. Historically, people with disabilities have been excluded from the majority of meaningful activities in society, including access to education, health and economic opportunities. Answering to the call of South Africans to close the gap, the LFP Group is the largest privately-owned FET college in the country and offers on-campus learnerships for the unemployed and disabled. By partnering with corporates and aligning these learnerships to the BEE Code of Good Practice and the YES Program, their offering benefits both society and our economy.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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