Image Source: DA
Johannesburg – South Africa’s latest unemployment figures reveal a grim reality for the nation’s workforce. According to Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate has surged to 33.5% for Q2 of 2024, just over half a percentage point from Q1.
More worryingly, the expanded unemployment rate for Q2 of 2024 has also risen to 42.6%, indicating a much more severe unemployment situation for millions in the country.
In an interview with Salaamedia, Imtiaz Ebrahim from the Direct Selling Association South Africa (DSA) acknowledged these alarming figures and stressed the urgent need for practical solutions to address the unemployment crisis affecting the population, particularly the youth, who are bearing the brunt with 60.8% of them unemployed.
Focusing on students, he noted that many graduates from tertiary institutions need help finding job opportunities. Their challenges are compounded by the requirement of prior work experience from companies, which creates a significant barrier to entry into the job market.
“When one speaks to youth, their top priority on their list of concerns is how to earn an income. We have many youths going through university, doing degrees, doing diplomas, graduating, and not being able to earn an income.”
“Very often, there aren’t any jobs in the market, and the typical cliché companies are saying you need to have experience. The youth are asking how they can get experience if they’ve just entered the job market.”
Bridging The Gap Between Education and Employment
Ebrahim highlighted several factors contributing to the high unemployment rate, including people’s lack of practical skills and personal development. To address this issue, for approximately 20 years, the DSA, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, has worked on an integrated learning program for students and members.
The goal is to bridge the gap between theoretical education and practical application, thereby enhancing the employability of young South Africans.
This initiative aims to provide students with essential practical skills and opportunities to ensure they are effectively equipped for the job market. The program offers hands-on business and personal development training, including sales techniques, networking, and general life skills.
By participating in this program, students gain valuable experience and skills that make them more competitive in the job market. Moreover, this approach empowers students to become self-reliant and entrepreneurial, offering them a viable pathway to economic participation and financial independence.
“We teach the youth who have registered for the course how direct selling actually happens in the practical sense. We empower them, teach them how to sell and network, and give them skills whereby they could earn an income.”
“We also market their skills when they go out into the world and really become entrepreneurs in their own right while they are still students. I think these are the kinds of things that we are looking at to empower the youth and get them over this hurdle of not being able to earn an income.”
