{"id":863399,"date":"2026-06-12T08:50:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=863399"},"modified":"2026-06-12T08:50:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:50:50","slug":"south-africas-young-workers-are-among-the-worlds-most-confident-about-their-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/863399\/south-africas-young-workers-are-among-the-worlds-most-confident-about-their-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s young workers are among the world\u2019s most confident about their skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South Africa\u2019s younger workforce is showing remarkable confidence in its ability to grow, adapt, and succeed in a rapidly changing world of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/info.adp.com\/international-payroll-solutions?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=June+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here to learn more about ADP.<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/info.adp.com\/people-at-work-emerging-2026?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=June+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>ADP Research\u2019s <em>People at Work 2026<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em>: A Global Workforce View<\/em>, young South African workers are among the most confident globally when it comes to having the skills needed to advance their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research, which surveyed more than 39,000 working adults across 36 markets, found that 48% of South African workers aged 18 to 26 strongly agree that they have the skills needed to progress to the next level in their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This places South Africa ahead of other high-performing markets such as Nigeria at 47% and Brazil at 41%, highlighting the country as a standout market for youth skills confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For employers, this presents a major opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young workers are entering the workplace with optimism, ambition, and a strong belief in their own potential. However, confidence alone is not enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Businesses that want to retain and develop this talent must provide clear career pathways, continuous learning opportunities, and meaningful support from managers and mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ADP Research shows that younger workers globally tend to be more optimistic about their prospects and more confident in the value of their training and skills than older generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes them a powerful source of energy and innovation for organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, employers must ensure this confidence is matched by investment. Skills development, structured progression, and cross-generational mentorship can help organisations turn young workers\u2019 ambition into long-term business value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is particularly important as workplaces become more complex, with artificial intelligence, hybrid work models, and shifting employee expectations reshaping how businesses operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>South African employers that actively invest in young talent can benefit from a workforce that is motivated, adaptable, and ready to contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The message is clear: South Africa\u2019s young workers believe they are ready for the future of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The challenge for employers is to create workplaces where confidence can grow into capability, loyalty, and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For organisations looking to build a future-ready workforce, young South African talent may be one of their strongest competitive advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/info.adp.com\/international-payroll-solutions?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=June+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here to learn more about ADP.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to ADP Research\u2019s People at Work 2026: A Global Workforce View, young South African workers are among the most confident globally when it comes to having the skills needed to advance their careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":863402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[17745,25548,4704,6401,25582,9687,10865],"class_list":["post-863399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-adp","tag-adp-research","tag-businesses","tag-employees","tag-people-at-work-2026","tag-south-africans","tag-workforce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=863399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":863463,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863399\/revisions\/863463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/863402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}