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Unemployed people looking for work
Advocacy group Youth Capital has described the current unemployment rate among young people as a state of emergency.
Latest figures from Stats SA’s first quarter of 2026 show that young people continue to be the worst affected by the unemployment crisis.
The data also shows that the absorption and participation rates among young people continue to be lower than those of older adults.
Youth Capital has highlighted stringent job entry-level requirements as a contributing factor in the low absorption rates.
The group’s Advocacy Strategist, Mbali Williams, says the government is not investing enough in young people.
“The entry-level requirements for a young person to get a job is getting significantly and significantly more difficult. If you have to look at the numbers, only four in 10 people that are within the working age gap, that are employable are participating in the labour market and this isn’t even an indicator that they have a dignified standard of living. For some people, this is part-time employment. For some people, it is informal sector employment, and the labour force participation rate is going down because the absorption rate is also going down.”
#SAYouthunemployment || More youth are employed in Trade, Community & Social services and Finance industries. Catch Acting DDG, @raku_19, on @radio786online at 16h07, as he unpacks the latest figures.
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#StatsSA #KnowYourStatsZA #GovZAUpdates pic.twitter.com/KsBoBNWHY9— Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) (@StatsSA) May 12, 2026
