Youth unemployment remains one of the top challenges facing South Africans today. Surprising though, it is not a new problem. The problem persists every year, thanks to the rapidly increasing population. Today, the government figures, but the rate of youth unemployment in South Africa at 63% by 2013. This problem is mainly as a result of structural failures over decades.
One-third of those aged from 14 to 24 are not in any form of employment. Since they are not involved in any formal education or training, they also fall in the category of joblessness. The economic condition is to blame for this.
Most of these youths have low levels of education, the majority having dropped out of school at an early age. As a result, the most have poor communication skills, lack work experience; low literacy levels and lacks saleable technical skills. As a result, they are simply lacking the traits that the employers desire. This is a result of years of structural failures in policies and discrimination in different segments of the population.
In the realization of this, the government has put in place a number of policies targeted to address the situation. However, the measures are not enough and most are criticized for too much focus on the supply side of the labor market with too little done on the demand side. The supply side programs mainly focus on equipping the youths with the necessary skills for the job market.
The Community Work Program (CWP) is a good example. It started in 2008 is designed as an employment safety net. It targets to supplement the livelihood by guaranteeing the job that offers some basic salary. It copies from the renowned Indian program known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). It is a program that targets to raise the standards of living among the poor.
The Public Deployment Program has also gained fame in South Africa. The program is implemented through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The target is to equip the jobless youths with the necessary skills that can make them employable. The program lasts for 12 months, after which the graduates are equipped with the technical skills.
Like many other countries, South Africa has a well-developed program under the National Rural Youth Service Corps burner. The first face was in September of 2010 and the second phase is to begin soon. The program requires a 2 year intensive training after which the trainees are released to undertake the rural development projects. During this time, they are paid by the government and helps raise the living standards of the communities where they work while earning income.
The demand side of the labor market is also set to get a boost by various economic stimulus programs. A good example is an act of the parliament that proposes to compensate the employers for hiring graduates. They are also to be compensated for the amount used for training the new recruits. However, the real solution lies in expanding the economy so that more youths can be absorbed by the industries. The solutions are not enough and the South African authorities will have to do more to fully address the problem.
One-third of those aged from 14 to 24 are not in any form of employment. Since they are not involved in any formal education or training, they also fall in the category of joblessness. The economic condition is to blame for this.
Most of these youths have low levels of education, the majority having dropped out of school at an early age. As a result, the most have poor communication skills, lack work experience; low literacy levels and lacks saleable technical skills. As a result, they are simply lacking the traits that the employers desire. This is a result of years of structural failures in policies and discrimination in different segments of the population.
In the realization of this, the government has put in place a number of policies targeted to address the situation. However, the measures are not enough and most are criticized for too much focus on the supply side of the labor market with too little done on the demand side. The supply side programs mainly focus on equipping the youths with the necessary skills for the job market.
The Community Work Program (CWP) is a good example. It started in 2008 is designed as an employment safety net. It targets to supplement the livelihood by guaranteeing the job that offers some basic salary. It copies from the renowned Indian program known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). It is a program that targets to raise the standards of living among the poor.
The Public Deployment Program has also gained fame in South Africa. The program is implemented through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The target is to equip the jobless youths with the necessary skills that can make them employable. The program lasts for 12 months, after which the graduates are equipped with the technical skills.
Like many other countries, South Africa has a well-developed program under the National Rural Youth Service Corps burner. The first face was in September of 2010 and the second phase is to begin soon. The program requires a 2 year intensive training after which the trainees are released to undertake the rural development projects. During this time, they are paid by the government and helps raise the living standards of the communities where they work while earning income.
The demand side of the labor market is also set to get a boost by various economic stimulus programs. A good example is an act of the parliament that proposes to compensate the employers for hiring graduates. They are also to be compensated for the amount used for training the new recruits. However, the real solution lies in expanding the economy so that more youths can be absorbed by the industries. The solutions are not enough and the South African authorities will have to do more to fully address the problem.
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