Evaluation of an Employment Guarantee to address youth unemployment: A case study of young people participating in Community Work Programmes in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Abstract

Youth unemployment in South Africa is a crisis that requires new thinking and solutions. An employment guarantee is an abstract proposition that has gained recognition globally, particularly in India through the adoption of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which has guaranteed 50 million rural households work for up to 100 days per annum.

South Africa has battled high levels of unemployment since the dawn of democracy in 1994. Various policy mechanisms have been designed to respond to the growing numbers of the unemployed. From a public employment perspective, two large scale programmes have been implemented – the Expanded Public Works Programme from 2004 onwards and the Community Works Programme (CWP) since 2010. The Community Works Programme is closer to an employment guarantee as it does not specify an exit point for its participants. The programme currently has an estimated 250 000 participants across 254 local municipalities. Although youth unemployment is high, youth participation in the Community Works Programme is lower than that of their adult counterparts. This research considers whether employment guarantee for young people could be an effective mechanism to help reduce these unemployment numbers. The research considers an employment guarantee from two distinct perspectives in a descriptive quantitative strategy. Firstly, from the perspective of young people participating in the Community Works Programme; their benefits, experiences, perceptions, skills development and ultimately whether the CWP has improved their quality of life. Secondly, from the perspective of young work seekers – and specifically their willingness to participate in a state sponsored employment guarantee programme with design and features like that of CWP.

The research finds that CWP is contributing to the improvement of quality of life for young people and that young people who find themselves outside the labour market have an interest in participating in a public employment guarantee. Three are however fiscal and absorption challenges which would need to be overcome. It is recommended that in designing youth employment strategies policy makers consider public employment guarantees as part of the design mix