- Almost half (47%) of young South Africans say they are not employed and are looking for work, vs. 38% of 36- to 55-year-olds (Figure 1).
- Aside from economic conditions and a shortage of jobs, South African youth say the main barriers to youth employment are a lack of work experience (35%), a lack of adequate training (25%), and young people’s aversion to jobs in tough sectors (15%). Other young respondents cite a lack of entrepreneurial skills or motivation (13%) and a mismatch between educational qualifications and job requirements (10%) (Figure 2). o Elderly respondents offer somewhat similar assessments, though they are more likely to cite youth unwillingness to take on certain jobs (24% vs. 15%) and less likely to point to a lack of experience (24% vs. 35%). o There exists a cross-generational consensus that youth face particular barriers to employment: Only 1% think they don’t.
- Almost half (45%) of youth say that if given a choice, they would prefer to work in government, vs. 28%-32% among older cohorts (Figure 3). o By contrast, youth are less entrepreneurial: Fewer than one-fourth (23%) would like to start their own business, compared to 38% of middle-aged respondents and almost half (47%) of those aged 56 and older.
- Across 38 countries surveyed by Afrobarometer since the start of 2024, South African youth are the second-least entrepreneurial, above only Namibians (19%) (Figure 4). On average, more than half (52%) of young Africans would prefer to start their own business.
- If the government could increase its expenditures to help young people, job creation would be the top priority for South African youth (cited by 57% of young respondents) (Figure 5). Next in importance would be jobs training (15%), education (12%), and social services for youth (12%).
If the government could increase its spending on programmes to help young South Africans, job creation would be the top priority for youth, a new Afrobarometer survey reveals.
Compared to older groups, youth show a greater interest in public-sector work: Almost half say they would prefer to work in government. Strikingly, they are less likely than senior citizens to say they would opt to start their own business, and they are also the second-least entrepreneurial among young citizens surveyed by Afrobarometer across 38 countries in 2024/2025.
Released ahead of Africa Youth Day (1 November), the study shows that nearly half of South African youth say they are unemployed and looking for a job. Another one-fifth of youth are not employed and not seeking work.
Apart from the country’s economic conditions and shortage of jobs, young South Africans say the main barriers to youth employment are a lack of work experience, a lack of adequate training, and young people’s aversion to jobs in tough sectors.