The important skill young South Africans need to get a job
Despite calls for technical and vocational skills in South Africa, youth with soft skills are more likely to find employment.
South Africa’s unemployment rate worsened in Q1 2023, jumping by 0.2% from Q4 2022 to 32.9%, with youth unemployment especially concerning.
Youth unemployment for ages 15-24 years and 25-34 were the highest on record, totalling 62,1% and 40,7%, respectively.
A major cause of youth unemployment is the supposed mismatch between the skills that employers want and what youth have.
The government and the private sector have said that the economy desperately needs technical and vocational skills.
According to Career Junction’s employment insights report for February 2023, the longer-term demand in the building and construction sector saw 2% growth, while most other sectors saw a decline in the hiring trend.
Moreover, in January, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that technical skills are sorely needed for South Africa’s economy.
“The skills that our country needs, the jobs that can grow our economy, and importantly, the avenues for entrepreneurship that are so sorely needed, can best be achieved by increasing learner access to technical and vocational subjects.
The government has been trying to improve the technical competence of the nation’s youth for several years now.
In 2010, the government established the National Rural Youth Service Corps to teach vocational skills to young South Africans in rural areas to enhance their employment prospects.
However, as per The Conversation, research on the National Rural Youth Service Corps from Professor
Soft skills refer to personal attributes that allow individuals to work with others and apply to most types of employment.
The researchers said that improvements in soft skills, such as problem-solving, networking, and leadership skills, was a key determinant in getting a job for the employed participants.
Soft skills were also crucial for those who started their own business, proving far more important than technical skills.
“Soft skills were as important in helping young people get stable jobs as were technical skills,” Habiyaremye told 702.
The researchers said that the important role of soft skills aligned with the increased emphasis on introducing soft skills to employment support programmes internationally.
They argued that soft skills should form a significant part of any youth employment process.
However, in relatively good news, Habiyaremye said that the government’s rural plan does have an element which focuses on the development of soft skills.
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