Dr. Tashmia Ismail, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Service (YES), cautions that university graduates only constitute a mere 8% of the overall unemployment rate in South Africa.
In her interview with the Business Hour on the 2020/21 fourth quarter labour figures, Ismail says South Africans without a matric certificate or those with only a matric are, in fact, the most unemployed in the country – roughly 56% – and it is them that we need to focus on. YES is a joint national initiative between business, government and labour that aims to address the youth unemployment crisis in South Africa by providing 12-month quality work experiences to unemployed youth. Ismail encourages business owners to not just automatically hire university graduates, but rather take a risk, on that which is unexpected.
Amendment to the Gazette