There is consensus among analysts that South Africa’s unemployment is structural in the sense that the unemployed generally possess lower skills than what is required in the marketplace. In the context of increasing demand for skilled workers due to technical progress and the need to become more competitive globally, graduate unemployment would be expected to fall. This paper investigates the nature of graduate unemployment in South Africa since 1995, finding that labour force and employment growth has been concentrated in higher educational categories. However, against expectations unemployment has risen amongst young and better educated people. The paper suggests that the education sector urgently requires continued emphasis and monitoring to ensure that learners are adequately prepared for entry into the labour force; that greater efforts be made to encourage learners to choose directions of study with superior employment prospects; and that investment in young people’s soft skills is required.
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit in its series Working Papers with number
9604.
Length: 36 pages Date of creation: Nov 2006 Date of revision: Publication status: Published in Working Paper Series by the Development Policy Research Unit, November 2006, pages 1-36 Handle: RePEc:ctw:wpaper:9604
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