Nada urges enhanced education and industry partnerships

WITH the latest unemployment figures revealing a deepening jobs crisis, partnerships between the education and private sectors are essential to South Africa's future.

- WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE

According to Statistics South Africa's Q1 2025 Labour Force Survey, the official unemployment rate has risen to 32.9%, while the expanded definition of unemployment, which includes discouraged job seekers, now sits at a staggering 43.1%.

Among young South Africans aged 15-24, 59.4% are unemployed, the highest of any age group.

Skills

"South Africa's young people are talented, hungry to learn and eager to work, but they need the opportunity to gain real-world skills that translate into jobs," said Thembinkosi Pantsi, Vice-Chairperson of the National Auto-mobile Dealers' Association (Nada).