New research shows graduate employment on the rise

By Ishmael Tongai. Graduate employment has risen in South Africa in the past 15 years, despite the country’s exceptionally high unemployment rate. While a third of people are jobless, graduate unemployment has declined to under 5%. New research by a leading think-tank, the Johannesburg-based Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), has discredited a public perception that more and more people with university degrees are not being absorbed by the job market.
“The myth that graduates in general, and black graduates in particular, are struggling to find work needs to be put to bed,” said the research published this month.
The study was conducted by Professor Servaas van der Berg and Hendrik van Broekhuizen of the department of economics at Stellenbosch University. At 35%, South Africa’s unemployment rate is considered one of the highest in the world. Read more...