The socio-economic characteristics and Implications of youth unemployment in Galeshewe Township in the Kimberley area (Northern Cape Province)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate some socio-demographic aspects and implications of youth unemployment in Galeshewe Township. The study makes use of descriptive statistics to analyze and interpret data collected from a random survey of 947 young persons aged between 18 and 35 years old. An individual questionnaire was administered during the interviews. The results indicate that most unemployed youths are between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine years and the majority of them are females. About 58.5% of the unemployed youths have completed secondary education, with 8.9% of them having obtained a tertiary diploma or degree. The majority of the youth do not have previous work experience and this handicaps their ability to secure employment. Most of these young people originate from areas outside Galeshewe. The views collected from the unemployed youth point to the need for government to ensure that tertiary education is accessible in the city in order to improve the level of education of the youth. The government also needs to provide more targeted job creation schemes, especially to those who did well at matriculation level, and to also empower the youth through other skills acquisitions as well as training and programmes that are available.