Experience of youth unemployment in Reiger Park and Madadeni townships in South Africa

Abstract

Unemployment is a major issue in South Africa and if not properly addressed, will have devastating effects in the near future. The challenges facing the South African government is poverty, inequality and unemployment. When carefully examined, all these problems are interrelated. Studies have shown the causes of structural unemployment in South Africa, because despite the high statistical figures, unemployment is highly concentrated on specific racial groups and age cohorts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of youth unemployment in two selected townships. The motivation for the selection of the research participants for this research was because persons in the same age cohorts are likely to share many characteristics that might influence their labour market experiences and outcomes. A qualitative study was undertaken in two locations in 2016, using two research instruments namely; the In-Depth Interviews (IDI’s) and the Focus Group Discussion (FGD’s). In both locations selected for the study, four FGD’s were conducted with both males and females, each with 8 participants and the IDI’s had 10 per site, 5 for males and 5 for females respectively. The data was analysed using the Nvivo computer software. The findings revealed that where the participants have solid family support, the experience of living with unemployment is severe because their potential to contribute in society goes untapped. However, the experience of living with unemployment is cushioned by the support they receive in their families. However, in households where the participants lack family support life becomes difficult for the unemployed. On the other note, the family support also makes the research respondents not to be serious when looking for employment opportunities. It renders them redundant. Another finding concerns the social grant provided by government. Participants in households that receive social grants are shielded from abject poverty. Many participants reported that it is not easy to get into the EPWP while others are not interested in it at all. Finally, none of the research participants have participated in the EPWP programs before, with some being aware of their existence while others are not. The research has shown that young people will not take up any job opportunity that is available for them.