Youth Unemployment

The South African socio-economic and political context: Implications and

challenges for developmental social welfare and social work.
Implications and challenges for social work and social welfare service delivery
in 2023:
According to stats sa, about 46.5% of the youth in South Africa (between the ages
15-35) are unemployed (statsas, 2022). Youth unemployment in South Africa is
largely systemic in nature. This means that it mainly affects the marginalised group
members in South Africa. Unemployment does not occur equally across all
demographic groups because of the inferior employment chances for young black
women and people of colour. Hence, racial and sexual inequalities in our country are
reflected in unemployment, which may also be linked to poverty (Cloete, 2015).

In order to assist the issue of youth unemployment in South Africa, one has to
understand the causes first. There are several causes for youth unemployment in
South Africa that can be held responsible. Firstly, rapid population increase is a huge
factor in youth unemployment (Impact SA, 2022). For South Africa, this means that
there are simply not enough jobs available for the amount of people there are in
South Africa. In relation to this issue, older people in South Africa take a long time to
retire from work because the government assisted older person’s grant is not a
sufficient amount that can sustain the livelihoods of many retired citizens. This then
results in job positions not being opened up for the qualified and experienced youth
in South Africa which results in youth unemployment. Secondly, the lack of education
is another major cause of unemployment amongst the youth in South Africa. This
lack of education is caused by unequal access to education and information
(Business Day, 2023). The opportunities for education are not equally distributed to
all citizens in South Africa. Thirdly, youth unemployment in South Africa is also
caused by the lack of work experience (Cloete, 2015). This is one of the major
causes. There are many newly graduated young South Africans who apply for work
but are rejected due to being inexperienced. Fourthly, another cause of youth
unemployment in South Africa is the shortage of career advice in schools (Cloete,
2015). Although people can be educated in schools and universities, career advice is
not taught enough to the youth. People are not taught how to apply for jobs, how to
write a CV and what skills are required for job interviews. Lastly, another cause of
youth unemployment in South Africa is the high cost of job seeking (Business Day,
2023).

The implications of youth unemployment in South Africa are social, economic and
political in nature. Socially, being unemployed shapes the low-self esteem of an
individual (Cloete, 2015). Being employed shapes the identity of an individual in the
society we live in. Additionally, the youth are starting to feel misled by the
government and disconnected from larger society because the government is not
producing enough jobs for them (Cloete, 2015). Graduates and youth are now
applying for the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) (Sithole, 2023). This
action is proof of how discouraged the youth is becoming in terms of getting
employment. Furthermore, youth unemployment in South Africa has contributed to
the anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour of the youth because they do not
have any other means of supporting their families (Cloete, 2015). Lastly, the youth
are starting to view education as unimportant as the high rates of unemployed youth
who are educated is demotivating (Cloete, 2015). From an economic point of view,
the youth not being able to be active members in the economy has a large impact on
the country’s financial status as a whole. SA has a complicated economic
environment (Business Day, 2023). Politically, even though the South African
National Budget for 2022 includes R5,2 billion in tax relief, including incentives for
young employment, concerns about youth unemployment persist (statssa, 2022). In
conclusion, poverty often results from and is exacerbated by unemployment, which is
a communal problem rather than an individual one. People are poor because others
are wealthy (there are different ways of looking at or dealing with the same situation).
The economic system appears to exclude some people from participating in
economic activity, which causes unemployment and poverty. This is a product of the
power dynamics between "the haves and have nots," those in the middle, and those
on the edges (periphery). The barrier that is created between these various groups
(the rich and the poor) is best described by inequality, which is characterised by
imbalanced power dynamics and is frequently maintained through stigmatisation and
stereotyping (Cloete, 2015).
The ways in which youth unemployment in South Africa can be added is through
taking advantage of the receptiveness of young people (Business Day, 2023). Young
people are now a lot better at understanding and using current technology. This is
something that should be taken advantage of by creating coding courses or drone
training programs that will give the youth the necessary skills and job experience
(Business Day, 2023). These causes could offer a small salary to get young South
Africans started in the work world. Additionally, the youth have more open-minded
and innovative ideas that they could contribute to SA. Furthermore, social work
services in South Africa could offer free job-preparation courses that would help
members of the youth to learn how to write a CV, how to conduct themselves in
interviews and how to access job-seeking information. Additionally, social workers
could promote activism in terms of youth employment. This would motivate many
young people to continue with their tertiary-level studies in order to achieve the
educational requirements for many jobs in South Africa. Moreover, existing initiatives
much like the Youth Employment Service (YES) can be advocated for and expanded
as organisations like YES collaborate with the private sector to develop chances for
young people to enter the labour market (Business Day TV, 2023). If we want young
people in South Africa to live honourable lives with purpose and make a constructive
contribution to the country, finding meaningful and practical chances for them is one
of the most important components of the youth landscape in that country. Social
investors must always have a thorough understanding of the youth environment in
South Africa (Impact SA, 2022).

READING SFROM THE MODULE APPLICABLE TO THE ARTICLE

According to (Patel, 2015:58)The developmental perspective to social welfare in

South Africa is firmly rooted in a rights-based approach. Its goals include achieving
social justice, a minimum standard of living, equitable access and equal opportunity
to services and benefits, and a commitment to meeting the needs of South Africans
with special emphasis on the needs of the most disadvantaged in the society. This
makes this reading applicable to the article on unemployment because, it cannot be
possible to achieve a minimum standard of living for people if they are not employed
and they have no means to live in conducive environments that are proper for human
dwelling. People need to be employed, especially the disadvantaged in the society
so that, they can change their living circumstances and regain their power in the
society.

Another reading that is applicable to the unemployment article is (Hoefer, 2016:1).It

states that “Social workers are called upon to assist people in need. Needs can be
physical, mental, social, or societal and social workers must be able to provide help
for the types of needs”. Unemployment is one of the basic needs of people. This
calls upon social workers to effectively advocate and fight for the needs of the youth
because, in most cases it is not about lack of skills, there is a huge number of youths
who are skilled but are not able to find jobs that require the skills that they have.
Hence, social workers need to intervene and assist the youth in this situation
because, it goes as far as affecting them mentally, psychologically and emotionally.

Moreover, as much as unemployment keeps increasing at an alarming rate in South

Africa and everyone looks upon the government to take effective actions to change
the situation, people can also do something. As stated by (Dess J, 2011:3),” we also
need more social entrepreneurship to help assure inclusive growth. Nowhere is
value-creating innovation more important than in our efforts to tackle pressing social
and environmental problems “. It is important that, people with skills learn to invent
into entrepreneurship and hire more youths in their business to curb the problem of
unemployment. Unemployment is also increased by youths who do not have any
skills at all, they also need to join different organizations and forums where they can
acquire different skills, this can also help in reducing unemployment in South Africa.

Relevance/ purpose of the article in relation to the specific outcomes of the of

the module. why did you select the article.

We selected this article because, as a group, we noticed that youth unemployment is

a global issue that affects all young people. As social workers, we are expected to
advocate for appropriate employment policies, conduct unemployment assessments,
and offer social services to help the unemployed find employment. It was crucial for
us to look at the Complex Barriers to Youth Employment to accomplish that and
better comprehend the difficulties social workers face when trying to assist young
people who are unemployed.

Lombard (2015:484) asserts that despite the 2030 Agenda's commitment to

achieving sustainable development in all three dimensions—economic, social, and
environmental— “billions of people continue to live in poverty and are denied a life of
dignity,” that inequalities are still increasing both within and between nations, and
that there are huge disparities in opportunity, wealth, and power. Global health
threats, gender inequality, and unemployment, especially among young people,
continue to be major issues. For example, the adoption of neo-liberal globalism and
free-trade policies exposed South Africa to the import of cheap goods, and the well-
intended labour legislation of the ANC government contributed to unemployment in
South Africa. These policies and systems were implemented for these reasons,
among others (Cloete, 2015:515).

Study units that are addressed by the article.

Unemployment is the predictor of poverty, being unemployed means there is no

source of income and many families are left without sufficient incomes to meet the
living expenses. Poverty persists not only because of a scarcity of resources,
because some societies have inefficient economic systems, or lack of natural
resources, or because poor people lack ambition (Cloete, 2015:516). Poverty is a
product of human social relationships meaning the social aspects of relationships set
the structure of economic exchange. It relies on how integrated or segregated
people's relationships are as well as how strong they are in comparison to one
another as to how they allocate and distribute things of value (Cloete, 2015:516).
Because poverty is linked to issues like poor hygiene, illness, disease, and lack of
education, there is also some stigmatization, stereotyping, and prejudice against
those who are impoverished. These prejudices create a barrier between the rich and
the impoverished, and this barrier upholds the distorted relationships that result from
their unequal distribution of wealth and power (Cloete, 2015:516). Thus, poverty is
more than just a lack of resources to satisfy basic needs. Additionally, poverty is a
sign of authority imbalances. The powerful in this relationship are allowed to include
or exclude whomever they choose. Being excluded from social interaction, the ability
to participate in decision-making, and most importantly, the exchange of
commodities in economic processes are all aspects of poverty that go beyond a lack
of access to essential services (Cloete, 2015:516).

The Global Agenda and the 2030 Agenda, on the other hand, are focused on those
who suffer from injustices and difficulties in both the governmental and personal
spheres. Service consumers experience exclusion, marginalization, and oppression
in their daily lives as well as in larger societal contexts that have an impact on
professional practice, according to Lombard. (2015:486). By collaborating with the
UN and other international bodies, communities, and organizations in "supporting,
influencing, and enabling structures and systems that positively address the root
causes of oppression and inequality these policies will aid in resolving the key issues
that the article highlights (Lombard, 2015:488). It is argued here that unemployment
threatens human dignity because, for example, the right to life implies that all people
have the right to the means necessary for subsistence because it is a necessary
condition for a life of dignity, according to Cloete (2015:513). However,
unemployment stops many South Africans from leading lives that reflect, actualize,
and affirm their dignity as people. (Cloete, 2015:522).

References
Addressing youth unemployment through social investment. 2022.
https://impactsa.co.za/addressing-youth-unemployment-through-social-investment/

Accessed on: 07/03/2023.

Business Day TV. 2023, 28 Feb. Tackling youth unemployment. [YouTube video].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OstO8cqtPvw Accessed on: 01/03/2023.
Chiwara, P. & Lombard, A. 2018. Mitigating the impact of drought in Namibia: Implications for social
work practice, education and policy. In L. Dominelli. (Ed). The Routledge Handbook of Green Social
Work. Oxford: Routledge. Pp 293-306.

Cloete, A. (2015) “Youth unemployment in South Africa: A theological reflection through the lens of
human dignity,” Missionalia, 43(3). Available at: https://doi.org/10.7832/43-3-133.

Dess, J. G. 2011:3. Social ventures as learning laboratories:Tennessee's Business. 1st ed

Hoefer, R., 2016:1. Advocacy Practice for Social Justice. 3rd ed ed. Chicago: Oxford University Press.

Lombard, A. (2015) “Global agenda for social work and social development: A path toward
sustainable social work,” Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 51(4). Available at:
https://doi.org/10.15270/51-4-462.

Patel, L., 2015:58. Social Welfare and Social Development. 2nd ed. Capetown: Oxfrod University
Press.

South Africa’s youth continues to bear the burden of unemployment. 2022.

https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=15407 Accessed on: 05/03/2023.

Sithole, S. 2023. Graduates queue for grants instead of jobs.

https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/graduates-queue-for-grants-instead-of-jobs-ffc3483c-7e7c-
4f64-99d9-b158c765c18a Accessed on: 01/03/2023.