With the announcement of South Africa’s unemployment rate sitting at 34.9% in the third quarter of 2021, Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey paints a difficult picture for the country. Following the release of the QLFS, economist and journalist Duma Gqubule described the country’s current unemployment rate a ‘national disgrace‘.
The number of discouraged job-seekers rose to 3.9 million. Zooming in on youth unemployment, young people aged 15-24 years and 25-34 years recorded the highest unemployment rates of 66,5% and 43,8% respectively. The number of young people not in employment, education or training also soared to 9.4 million.
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Youth Capital’s Network Mobiliser Lethiwe Sinodumo Nkosi commented on the announcement with Ayanda Nyathi on Newzroom Afrika, highlighting the urgency of including young people’s voices and experiences.