17/05/2026
South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis is not only about creating jobs - it’s about recognising how young people are already surviving and participating in the economy.
Many young people today work as freelancers, informal traders, creatives, and social entrepreneurs, yet most Public Employment Programmes still fail to support these realities.
This is why the work of Youth Capital matters:
They continue to amplify the lived experiences of unemployed and underemployed youth while pushing for policies that are more inclusive, responsive, and future-focused.
We need:
• Public Employment Programmes that reflect the real economy
• Support for freelancers and informal workers
• Investment in youth-led and emerging enterprises
An inclusive economy requires intentional design - not outdated assumptions.
Add your voice and sign the Youth Capital Petition: https://bit.ly/4u4G40e
50 years after the 1976 youth uprisings, young people in South Africa continue to face deep barriers to opportunity, dignity, and economic inclusion.
Mass unemployment. Unstable livelihoods. Limited pathways into meaningful work.
In this context, public employment programmes (PEPs) remain one of the few large-scale mechanisms connecting young people to income, experience, and opportunity. But what happens during, and after, is too often left unanswered.
On Monday, 18 May, we partner with Citizen Code for a build-up dialogue to the State of the Youth Address: TRANSITIONS FROM PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT INTO SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS.
Honest dialogues. Group challenge. Collective asks.
