Centre for Poverty, Employment & Growth HSRC • CPEG operates a modified think-tank asking: how can target unemployment be reached? • Draws together key stakeholders and experts into high level dialogue • Prepares deep research and develops capability to answer these policy questions Youth focus • • • • Over the past few years, we have developed a special focus on youth. Special focus on very large group of young people who leave school, are unemployed and not studying, and are not qualified to study in higher education.
The long term solutions will focus on labour absorbing growth and improved education systems. In the meantime, SA has a youth bulge, and about 500,000 to 700,000 school leavers enter the labour market each year (in a LM of about 16 million people, and 12 million employed).
Up to the downturn that hit SA in 2009, high school leavers (whether completed or not) had a 50/50 chance of finding a job before the age of 24. About 65% of black school leavers could not find a job before age 24.
Out of the group of 4. 2 million 15 – 24 year olds, about 2. 6 million are inactive (neither working, nor studying) and 1. 6 m are working. • • • Are there immediate solutions that could raise the employability of school leavers, thereby reducing the probability of long term unemployment? Some background • S African youth stay in school long, but gain insufficient skills and capabilities relative to their counterparts in international comparative studies
School Violence Schools Students Youth
Violence in Schools Violence among youth, especially in schools, is one of American society's most pressing concerns. It is also a source of controversy. While no recent nationwide study of the real extent of youth violence is available, small-scale and regional studies indicate that youth violence is increasing, at least slightly. In addition, youth, like adults, are now more frequently using ...
They also lack networks, search skills, communication skills, personal presentation and work readiness capabilities Increasingly, they need to find work in a growing services economy that requires these capabilities The longer unemployment or underemployment lasts, the harder it is to reverse effects on the individual • • 25% of all UE have been searching for 1-3 years; 35% have been searching for 3+ years • • • • • • 81% of discouraged have less than completed secondary education. Strong race dynamic Youth face a special challenge of accessing a first work experience There is a particular racial bias to these gaps.