The collapse of the graduate labour market in South Africa: evidence from recent studies

Abstract

This article examines the problem of rising unemployment among graduates from post‐school institutions in South Africa such as the further education and training (FET) colleges, universities of technology and universities. Although an emerging problem elsewhere in the world, the rate of growth of unemployed graduates is escalating at a rapid pace in South Africa. The analysis presents results from several recent graduate employment studies. It then identifies a number of causal factors that contribute to the accentuation of the problem; chief among these being the collapse of structured pathways from education and training into work in key areas of employment.