Hiring young people is one of the smartest ways to build a stronger, more resilient workforce, but finding and supporting the right talent requires the right approach.
This November, we investigate youth optimism and resilience and how it is fuelling earning even where jobs are scarce.
Many employers are missing some of their strongest entry-level hires before the interview stage even begins.
In a labour market where businesses need people who can learn quickly, adapt to changing environments and stay the course, CV-led recruitment can be a blunt instrument. It often favours young people who have already had access to formal work experience, while screening out others who may have the behaviours, resilience and potential to succeed.
Fifty years after the student uprising that defined Youth Day on 16 June 1976, South Africa’s young people have secured their political freedom, but the struggle for economic inclusion continues. They face challenges on two fronts: the persistent systemic barriers of the past, and a world that is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. Current volatility in geopolitics and the resulting oil shocks are clouding the economic groundwork that must form the foundation of job growth.
Young South Africans earned their praise in the President’s State of the Nation Address with a record 88% matric pass rate in 2025. And although experts remain concerned about the distribution of these gains across subjects, the growing share of Bachelor’s passes, especially from no‑fee schools, signals that both performance and equity continue trending upward.