6 in 10 youth have no jobs

WORK: WHY SOME STILL REJECT OFFERS

- Hannah J Dawson

South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. The official rate is 32%, rising to 42% when discouraged job seekers are included. Among young people aged 15 to 24, unemployment reaches a staggering 60%.

While much attention has focused on youth exclusion from the labour market, far less is said about their experiences in precarious jobs, or why some choose to leave low-wage employment.

Across SA, young people are encouraged by the government, NGOs and society to accept unpaid internships, precarious apprenticeships and low-wage jobs on the assumption that these opportunities will lead to better employment. Those who quit or refuse low-wage jobs are sometimes derided by employers as "lazy" or "choosy".

In 2015 and 2016, I conducted in-depth interviews and a survey with 100 young people (aged 18-35) in the settlement of Zandspruit, near Johannesburg. They told me that the wage work available to them did not offer a pathway to a dignified life.