How Does the Incresing Unemployment Rate Affect the Youth of South Africa?

How is the increasing rate of unemployment affecting the youth of South Africa?

1. Introduction A major problem in South Africa is the large number of young persons who are unemployed. In South Africa 50% of the South Africans who don’t have jobs, are youngsters.
Today, a matriculation qualification is not enough to get a job in this country, even having a degree does not necessarily guarantee employment. South Africa has an acute problem of youth unemployment that requires a multi-pronged strategy to raise employment and support inclusion and social cohesion. High youth unemployment means that young people are not acquiring the skills or experience needed to drive the economy forward. This inhibits the country’s economic development and imposes a larger burden on the country to provide social assistance.
In South Africa, the total unemployment rate is currently around 25% of the labour force. On the more inclusive definition, it is close to 40%. Youth unemployment rates are significantly higher: even on the narrower definition, 35% for those aged 15-34, and 49% for 20-24 year-olds. Under-35s account for over 70% of total unemployment. www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/.../en/page71619?
This research focuses on youth unemployment and the effects that unemployment has on the youth of South Africa. The purpose of this research is to identify why the youth is affected so harshly by youth unemployment and also how it affects the youth. It covers the current facts about youth unemployment, why there is a continuous increase in youth unemployment, and what can be done to combat this phenomenon.

2. Background
-South African has an enormous unemployment problem but it is mainly concentrated amongst the youth between the ages of 15-24.
-Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges that any country has to face as it affects demographic, social, economic, health and environmental factors.
- About 42 per cent of young people under the age of 30 are unemployed compared with less than 17 per cent of adults over 30.
-Only 1 in 8 working age adults under 25 years of age have a job compared with 40 per cent in most emerging economies.
-Employment of 18 to 24 year olds has fallen by more than 20 per cent (320 000) since December 2008.
-Unemployed youngsters tend to be less skilled and inexperienced. Almost 86 per cent do not have formal further or tertiary education, while two-thirds have never worked. www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/

3. Problem statement

This problem of youth unemployment is a global phenomenon but South Africa shows higher rates of unemployed youngsters than other countries do. The concerns are whether or not this phenomenon will continue to increase or will it be able to be combated? What could be done to solve this problem, and how can it be solved? Youth unemployment has been increasing in South Africa for many years and it is troubling that in a few years from now this problem will have even worse effects on this country. As every year goes by, more and more matric students finish high school and go in search of employment, especially those that cannot afford to continue their studies with further education. What will happen to our future generations? At the end of the day, the older generation employees will retire and then the younger generation will be very much needed to be employed. But what will happen if they are not skilled enough or do not have enough experience due to this current problem of youth unemployment?
Unemployment amongst the youth is caused by factors such as low education, high dropout rates and early motherhood. But also as a result of problems like crime or drug abuse causes unemployment. . The consequences of youth unemployment include low self confidence low self empowerment, and youngsters feeling discouraged. Young people unemployed are at the risk to lose their place in society and turn to drug abuse and sometimes even criminality. Other consequences are the loss of perspectives through having no chance for a straight forward career development and the loss of qualifications through not using them on the labour market. www.scribd.com/.../Youth-Unemployment-–-Causes-and-Consequences

4. Main research question: * How is the youth affected by the high unemployment rate in South Africa?

*Sub-questions: * Why are so much of the South African youth unemployed? * What caused the high rate of unemployment amongst youngsters? * What is our country doing to lower the rates of youth unemployment? * Will this problem of youth unemployment have worse effects on our future generation of youngsters?

5. Objectives and/or hypothesis: * To investigate how the youth is affected by the high rates of unemployment.

6. Assumptions of the study: * The increasing unemployment rate affects the youth unemployment rate. If the unemployment rate continues to increase, then so does the youth unemployment rate.
7. Scope of the study: * In this research project, the main purpose is to identify how the South African youth is being affected and will be affected by the increasing unemployment rate if measures aren’t taken to combat this phenomenon.

8. Justification or importance of the study: * This is a worldwide economic problem experienced among the youth all around the world. With regards to youth unemployment in South Africa, the increasing number of unemployed youngsters is continuously growing. The answers to the research questions will hopefully contribute to combating this problem as well as the labour force and organizations contributing to making a change. South Africans need to understand what is going on and how it is affecting the youth of our country.

9. Definition of key concepts: * Youth- is defined as the appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young. Youth is a term used for people of both genders, male and female, of young age. Youth refers to individuals between the ages of 16-24. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth * Unemployment- refers to people who are without work and actively seeking work. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment * Phenomenon- A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen. * Acute- Present or experienced to a severe or intense degree. * Research- The study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

10. Structure of the study: * The structure of this research is a direct and informative one, in which I gather the necessary information needed to answer the main research question as well as the sub-questions with regards to how the youth is affected by the increasing rate of unemployment in South Africa.

11. Summary:
Addressing youth unemployment requires both short and long term measures that encompass increasing demand for labour, improving education and skills, and labour market interventions that improve the employability of young people. South Africa has an acute problem of youth unemployment that requires a multi-pronged strategy to raise employment and support inclusion and social cohesion. High rates of unemployment means that the youth struggles to find employment. The high level of youth unemployment means that young people are not acquiring the skills or experience needed to drive the economy forward. As the research on the effects of unemployment of youngsters continues, I will be discussing the reasons and causes of youth unemployment, how this phenomenon affects the youth of South Africa, and in general just providing an in-depth research analysis on how the increasing rate of unemployment affects the youth of South Africa.