Topic: 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).

Reference List:

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), 513-525. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7832/43-3-133
Business Day TV. 2023, 28 Feb. Tackling youth unemployment. [YouTube video].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OstO8cqtPvw Accessed on: 01/03/2023.
Addressing youth unemployment through social investment. 2022.
https://impactsa.co.za/addressing-youth-unemployment-through-social-investment/
Accessed on: 07/03/2023.
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.