- Agenda 2019: Tackling youth unemployment urges voters to find out what political parties are going to do to lift the terrible burdens of unemployment and exclusion.
- The youth unemployment rate was 38.9% in the fourth quarter of 2018. 7,9 million SA youth were Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET).
- Slow economic growth means reduced employment creation. Other causes of youth unemployment include an increasingly capital intensive economy; government policy decisions; a shortage of job-relevant skills; a poor education system; and high costs to travel to and from work.
- Scale is important. What matters is not the size of the employment-generating projects, but their quantity.
- Profit-seeking firms are the most efficient vehicle for delivering millions of jobs.
- To reduce youth unemployment, South Africa needs accelerated inclusive growth that is urban-led, private sector driven, enabled by a smart state that understands markets.
