Examining social entrepreneurship as a solution to addressing and reducing youth unemployment among disadvantaged youth in Cape Town

Abstract

Youth unemployment is a global problem but is particularly acute in South Africa, with the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 years currently exceeding 70%. Traditional ways of creating employment are failing to deliver sufficient jobs. Many countries have been able to create youth employment opportunities through entrepreneurship and to solve societal problems caused by unemployment through social entrepreneurship. Yet the total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA), the rate of youth initiation or ownership of entrepreneurial ventures, is low in South Africa compared to its global and African counterparts. This study explores social entrepreneurship as a means of addressing and reducing youth unemployment among disadvantaged young people in Cape Town.