The rejection of low-wage work by young urban black South Africans amidst South Africa's unemployment crisis

Abstract

This is a qualitative research study concerned with how and why the phenomenon of job shyness exists amongst a demographic experiencing high unemployment rates. The central question being asked is, why young South African township inhabitants are making a conscious decision not to participate in the formal labour market though low-wage work despite being confronted by high unemployment rates and poverty. I endeavour to highlight and provide a consolidated view of the positions currently held by writers on the subject of unemployment in South Africa. Applying principals from different schools of thought as potential answers to the key questions of this research. The existing literature on unemployment and job-shyness will be interpreted through the lens of a young black South African woman with strong historical, familial and social ties to the township, actively living through and having experienced the realities of trying to find work in the midst of the current unemployment crisis. This study is a literature review and highlights trends shaping the economic participation choices made by young black urban South Africans across townships in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape. The study aims to position the rejection of low wage work as a rational choice by highlighting trends in the labour participation choices of the study subjects included in the literature review.