Open Government Data Support for the Awareness of Employment Opportunities Among the Youth in Alexandra Township in Gauteng Province in South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, one of the major reasons for the lack of employment opportunities among youth is a skills deficiency and in some cases a mismatch with the skills required. The challenge of finding employment opportunities is exacerbated by a lack of access to relevant information. Open government data (OGD) could potentially be useful in meeting the information needs. However, that possibility has not been investigated and described in this context. Therefore, the focus of this study is to investigate how access to OGD can support the awareness of employment opportunities among youth in a township in the Gauteng province. The Choice Framework is used as the theoretical framework to analyse the individual's choice with a focus on social structure, individual agency, the degree of empowerment, and the development outcomes. The research design involves a case study with semi-structured interviews being conducted in the Alexandra Township of Johannesburg. We collected data from 34 participants between the ages of 18 and 35 who are currently looking for work. Thematic data analysis was undertaken using Atlas.ti 8. Our findings show there was limited awareness of OGD and several challenges in optimally using OGD were identified. The study’s contribution is to foster an improved understanding of youth’s awareness of OGD including the challenges affecting youth in accessing OGD and recommendations towards overcoming those challenges.