The Young and the Restless: South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis

• The official unemployment rate has increased to 29% in 2Q 2019 (a QOQ rise of 1.4% from 27.6% in 1Q 2019). This represents the highest unemployment rate since 2003.
• South Africa has an economically active population (people aged between 15 and 64 years) of nearly 23 million people.
• Of the economically active population, 16.3 million have a job, while 6.7 million do not have a job under the official definition of unemployment.
• The expanded unemployment rate sits at 38.5%, or 10.2 million people.
• The youth are worst affected, with 56.4% of 15 to 24 year-olds and 35.6% of 25 to 34 year-olds officially classified as unemployed.