SA graduates’ employment woes

IN A nation where dreams of a brighter future clash with harsh economic realities, South African graduates are finding themselves trapped in a relentless cycle of joblessness.

- KAREN SINGH

With youth unemployment soaring to a staggering 56.3%, these ambitious individuals share their heart-wrenching stories of resilience and frustration in a job market that seems to have no room for them.

In South Africa, youth unemployment has reached crisis levels, according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who was speaking at the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator engagement on Friday.

“The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey data delivered its bleakest message: that the expanded youth unemployment among young people aged 18-34 years has, in the first quarter of 2025, reached one of its highest points ever: at 56.3%,” said Mashatile.

This is a continuation of the downward spiral trend that began in 2015 and was only interrupted by an even steeper fall during the Covid-19 pandemic, added the deputy president.

“Most of you gathered here today know all too well what it means to be without work, locked out of the economy, and unable to earn an income. It is disheartening; it is discouraging, and it takes resilience and an enduring sense of hope to overcome.

“Most importantly, it requires support from family, government, the private sector, and other stakeholders,” he said.

Thabile Dladla, 25, who graduated with an LLB in 2022, said she searched for a job in her field for two years.

Dladla said when she graduated, it was a moment filled with pride, ambition, and the belief that her formal entry into the legal profession was just around the corner.

She noted, however, that the corner was much further away than she had expected.