Youth unemployment remains high as they scramble for income: StatsSA

JOHANNESBURG - Stats SA says youth unemployment remains incredibly elevated as the cohort between the ages of 15 and 34 scrambles to get a salaries.

This comes as the country’s official unemployment rate ticked up to 32.1%, which is 0.2% higher than the previous quarter.

Stats SA released the unemployment figures for the fourth quarter of 2023 on Tuesday.

Out of 10 million young people aged 15 to 24 years, 3.5 million of them are not employed or in education during the last three months of 2023.

That number is enough to fill Africa’s biggest arena - the FNB stadium - 36 times.

ALSO READ: SA's official unemployment rate hits 32.1%

Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke admitted that young people remained vulnerable in the labour market.

“One of the things we know is that the unemployment rate for young people is sitting at 59.4% - far higher than the national average of 31.2%.”

Graduate unemployment is now closer to the 10% mark.

Unemployed youth with a matric certificate are double that figure – while youth with less than a matric are four times that figure.

Tackling job unemployment remains at the centre of electioneering by some political parties in the run- up the upcoming general elections.