Youth unemployment in SA surges to 46%- Advocacy groups demand jobs guarantee

As South Africa commemorates Youth Month, a time to honour the fearless spirit of the 1976 generation, an urgent cry echoes from the streets and townships: The country’s youth are being left behind as the youth unemployment crisis worsens.

Advocacy group United Africans Transformation (UAT) has voiced deep sorrow and rising anger over what it calls a national shame as the continuing rise in youth unemployment unfolds.

According to the latest figures from Statistics South Africa, the national unemployment rate has climbed to 32.9%, with over 8.2 million South Africans out of work. 

Youth unemployment has surged to 46.1%, up from 44.6% in the previous quarter. 

On Monday, UAT stated that, in absolute numbers, over 151,000 young people have become jobless within three months, and an alarming 153,000 youth jobs have been lost in the same period.

“While Youth Month traditionally celebrates the resilience of the youth who fought against oppression in 1976, today’s young people are grappling with a different struggle marked by economic hardship, poverty, and political neglect,” said UAT spokesperson Mighty Mabule. 

“A new generation finds itself trapped in a cycle of waiting: waiting for callbacks, internships, and meaningful employment that often never materialise.”

UAT argued that despite the "lofty rhetoric" of the government of national unity (GNU), which emphasises inclusivity and dialogue, the organisation criticised the administration for perpetuating the same exclusionary systems that have failed generations of African youth. 

It said that instead of implementing urgent, people-centered reforms, the government offers “elite pacts” and exhibits bureaucratic inertia.

“The solutions proposed so far are purely theoretical,” said Mabule. 

“Our youth are hungry for action, not empty promises. The time for debate has passed; need concrete, immediate measures to turn the tide.”

UAT is demanding a Youth Jobs Guarantee, a bold policy proposal that ensures no young person remains unemployed for more than six months without access to work, training, or public service opportunities. 

The organisation also advocated for massive investments in youth-owned businesses, especially in marginalised areas, and the rapid rollout of community-based skills centers that offer practical training in high-demand sectors.

Rejecting the pattern of recycled promises, UAT declared that the future depends on collective responsibility and urgent action.

“Young people must organise, empower themselves, and demand inclusive structures,” said Mabule. 

“Waiting for change is no longer an option. We must seize the moment and build a more equitable society.”

South Africa’s youth demographic is one of the largest on the continent, with over 19 million young people aged 15-34.

thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za

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