GroundUp reports that according to a study conducted by Youth Capital and Open Dialogue on the costs of job-seeking, more than 80% of unemployed young people in SA have to choose between looking for work and buying food.  

“This is an alarming statistic,” said Kristal Duncan-Williams, the project leader, during a virtual launch of the report, co-hosted by the DG Murray Trust, on Thursday. The results were based on a survey of 2,200 respondents aged between 18 and 34, most of whom were looking for work at the time. Between August and November 2021 they were asked about how much they spent on data and transport looking for work, and where they got the money to look for work. Asked if they had to choose between looking for work and buying food, 84% of participants answered “Yes”. The study was built on the findings of the 2019 Siyakha Youth Assets Study, on youth unemployment. The Siyakha study found that young South Africans, on average, spent R938 a month looking for work. These costs included transport, data or internet usage, printing, certification, copying, postage, scanning, as well as application fees or agency fees. With regard to finding money to look for work, most participants - 69% - said they borrowed money from family members. A further 20% said they borrowed from a friend, and 27% said they used a government grant. The survey found that 44% of respondents had been looking for a job for more than a year. According to StatsSA, nearly two thirds of people aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marecia Damons at GroundUp

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