How SA Youth is connecting employers to South Africa’s untapped talent

Employers struggle to find the right talent, while millions of capable young people remain on the sidelines as their potential is often overlooked by a lack of formal experience or qualifications.

To discuss how technology is addressing this problem, Stephen Grootes was joined by Sharmi Surianarain, Chief Impact Officer at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. She highlighted the barriers employers face and explained how SA Youth is reshaping the entry-level job market to make it work more effectively for everyone.

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According to Surianarain, the core issue is not necessarily a lack of ability among young people, but a fundamental disconnect in how skills are communicated and valued. She points to a common, and often counterproductive, hiring practice: 

"Some of the barriers that employers face include young people not necessarily being able to articulate their skills that are relevant for a job. Furthermore, job postings will ask for things like five years’ work experience for an entry-level job.”

This demand for experience creates a significant barrier for young people entering the job market, filtering out candidates who may be entirely capable. Harambee’s data supports this, showing that educational requirements often do not reflect the realities of the job.

“We know that only five per cent of jobs advertised online require less than a matric certificate, yet we see that young people with less than matric or matric can successfully perform many entry-level roles.”

As a result, employers are left sifting through thousands of CVs – a costly and time-consuming process.

SA Youth, South Africa’s largest youth recruitment platform is designed to reduce this friction. It operates as a two-sided platform for both the job seeker and the employer. Hiring managers have access to a pool of candidates who are better matched to available roles, resulting in measurable business benefits; while a young person navigating the labour market has access to learning and job opportunities, data-free.

"Our research shows that this approach places more young people who are ready and fit for purpose in front of employers. Employers experience cost savings as well as a return on investment in terms of improved retention"

By rethinking recruitment practices, employers can address their own talent needs while playing a meaningful role in unlocking the potential of a generation. To hire from the portal to potential, employers and HR managers can visit www.sayouth.co.za and discover more entry-level talent matches that would have otherwise remained unseen. For more information and customised support, employers can also email info@sayouth.co.za

About SA Youth

Launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021, SA Youth is South Africa’s largest online youth recruitment platform, designed to break the barriers that keep young people locked out of the economy. The platform, which is managed and operated by Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, is part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and uses intelligent algorithms and geo-mapping capabilities to match employers to candidates closest to the opportunities. 
 
The platform has also assisted over 3,000 businesses from big corporates and SMMEs and across all sectors, to fill their entry-level roles efficiently and inclusively. To date, it has supported over 5 million young work-seekers and successfully connected over 1.5 million excluded youth to aggregated earning opportunities.Recruit on the portal to potential. Sign up now on sayouth.co.za.