An exploration of the challenges of unemployed rural youth graduates in a district in KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

This study aims to explore the challenges of youth graduates who are unemployed, especially those from the rural areas. Youth unemployment in South Africa and globally has significantly increased in the last few years. Particularly, the unemployment rate among youth graduates has increased across all racial groups and geographical areas, and this has affected the lives of rural communities. Nkonjeni village in KwaZulu-Natal (RSA), which has a predominantly rural African population, was selected as the geographical research area for this study. This rural village was chosen because, like many rural areas in South Africa, it is facing enormous challenges concerning youth graduates being unemployed. To achieve the objectives of the study, a qualitative research approach was applied to investigate the challenges and experiences of a sample population of six unemployed tertiary level youth graduates (three males and three females) from Nkonjeni rural village who qualified in the field of humanities and engineering studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Furthermore questionnaire document were used to collect data, Tesch’s (1990) eight-step approach for data analysis was employed. This qualitative study is guided by an interpretive paradigm which facilitated indepth conversations with each unemployed graduate throughout the study. The Social Exclusion Theory, Capability Approach and Ecological Systems Theory underpinned the framework of this study. The findings revealed that the inappropriate subject content of modules and the lack of guidance for prospective youth graduates largely contributed to them being unemployed. The study also revealed that although the participants were actively jobseeking, there was a mismatch between their qualification and skills and the specific demands of the labour market, which further decreased their chances of employment. This situation was exacerbated by the lack of career guidance, work experience, social connections in the labour market, job recruitment practices which promoted nepotism and corruption. It is recommended that government policies and programmes promote self-employment through entrepreneurship with the provision of start-up capital.