Unemployment and youth development pathways: A case study of Botshabelo, Free State, South Africa
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Date
2022
Authors
Yanta, Dimakatso Veronica
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Unemployment is a serious socio-economic challenge for many countries, thereby
warranting international interest as evidenced by the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG), wherein the promotion of sustainable, inclusive, and decent jobs for all is
advocated (World Bank, 2015). Cloete (2012) defines unemployment as an economic
issue that possesses a threat to human dignity. The focus on youth unemployment is
motivated by the fact that youth are the biggest cohort with an unemployment rate of
43.2% of new jobseekers in the first quarter of 2021 and are therefore the most
vulnerable group regarding unemployment (StatsSA, 2021). Unemployment here
refers to those who can work and are looking for work, but cannot find work (Cloete,
2012). Cloete (2012) continues to describe unemployment in the South African context
as having an indisputable structural or systemic character. Systemic unemployment
refers to a pattern, practice, or policy of discrimination that has a broad impact on a
class or category of persons within an industry, profession, company, or geographic
area. For example, when older employed workers are pushed to leave their jobs in
order to accommodate young employees on jobs like internships, learnership, and
apprenticeships (Lopez, Hart & Katz, 2021). Structural unemployment on the other
hand, implies the total inability of an economy to provide opportunities for the overall
labour force. This is the type of unemployment that is the hardest to address because
of limited available resources. This can be seen by the increasing number of
unemployed youths in South Africa. This has resulted in the strain of the unstable
economy and lack of jobs in the country. In addition to clarifying the term "unemployment" it is necessary to define "youth" as a concept. Youth is a broad and disputed concept because of its operational definition,
which differs widely from country to country. The United Nations defines "youth" as
people between 15 and 24 years of age (United Nations, 1992). In South Africa, youth
are defined as people aged 14 to 35 (National Youth Act, 1996). According to Du Toit
(2003:4), "the age of 15 years is the stage at which children are permitted to enter the
labour market in South Africa." Having explained these different definitions, it will be
proper to use the South African definition for the purpose of this study. The South
African definition of youth seems ideal, given the context in which the study is taking place. The study will explore development pathways and how unemployment impacts
these youth development pathways. A Pathways Framework will be used to provide
clear, explicit experiential goals for youth. The pathways approach believes that it is
never too late to start with the development of youth (Chi, 2010). The pathways lens
looks at how individuals move within, across, and through learning spaces toward
possible futures. It therefore means that pathways are the yardsticks of how an
individual's future is designed, shifted, or facilitated by external structures (Bell &
Blauflower, 2012). The study will continue to investigate the effect of unemployment
on these development pathways globally, in South Africa, and eventually in
Botshabelo township. The concepts, causes, and development pathways will be
thoroughly discussed in the literature review chapter. It is important to note that South
Africa’s concept of youth development is influenced by the historical conditions,
particularly apartheid, that have shaped the country and its democratic goals. This
history is based on the need to attain the principles of social and economic justice,
human rights, empowerment, and participatory citizenship. In this study, youth
development refers to the process of finding employment and developing young
people's livelihoods so that they can participate in economic activities (Hill, Skattebol,
Griffiths & Wong, 2015). Development determines South Africa’s future; hence, it is at
the core of its development agenda (UNFPA, 2006; Moultrie & McGrath, 2007). Youth
unemployment and development should be addressed and attained through
integrated and sustainable policies and programs that seek to improve the quality of
their lives.
Description
Dissertation (MDS (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2022