The employment environment for youth in rural South Africa: A mixed-methods study |
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| Authors: | Andra Wilkinson Audrey Pettifor Molly Rosenberg Carolyn T Halpern Harsha Thirumurthy Mark A Collinson |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Carolina Population Center, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;2. Department of Maternal and Child Health Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USAWilkina@live.unc.edu;4. Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;5. MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa;6. Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Boston, MA, USA;7. Department of Maternal and Child Health Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;8. Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA;9. MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa;10. Centre for Global Health Research, Ume? University, Ume?, Sweden;11. Indepth Network, Accra, Ghana |
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| Abstract: | South Africa has high youth unemployment. This article examines the predictors of youth employment in rural Agincourt, Mpumalanga Province. A survey of 187 out-of-school 18 to 24 year olds found that only 12% of women and 38% of men were currently employed. Men with skills/training were significantly more likely to report employment, mostly physical labour (adjusted odds ratio: 4.5; confidence interval: 1.3, 15.3). In-depth interviews with 14 of the youth revealed that women are perceived more suitable for formal employment, which is scarce, informing why women were more likely to pursue further education and yet less likely to be employed. Ten key informants from local organisations highlighted numerous local youth employment resources while, in contrast, all youth in the sample said no resources were available, highlighting a need for the organisations to extend their services into rural areas. Because these services are focused on entrepreneurship, programmes to increase financial literacy and formal employment opportunities are also needed. |
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| Keywords: | Youth employment rural |
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