From Workplace to Joblessness: The Determinants of Post-Internship Graduate Unemployment in South Africa

Abstract

One of the pressing concerns for governments and policy makers across the world is youth unemployment. What is even more devastating is the growing graduate unemployment, particularly in developing countries, and South Africa is no exception. Graduate unemployment in South Africa continues to increase at an alarming rate. Without drastic interventions, this socio-economic problem may sadly double in size in the next decade. Work experience programmes, such as internships, are increasingly supported to address youth unemployment, particularly among graduates. However, the effectiveness of the current interventions to the unemployment problem are questionable. This paper draws from the perspectives of 50 participants to explore the determinants of post-internship graduate unemployment. In particular, this paper adopts the lenses of mismatch theory of unemployment to explain why young people are vulnerable in the labour market irrespective of their education and work experience. The examined perspectives revealed that, beyond limited labour market demand, there is also an increasing “work experience-job mismatch” leading to post-internship graduate unemployment. Due to the number of factors, including the skills mismatch problem, the transition from higher education to full-time employment is difficult for many graduates.
 
 Received: 30 November 2021 / Accepted: 11 February 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022

Towards inclusive teaching and learning practices: A guideline for commerce academics

“…It is noted, especially for interns from previously disadvantaged communities, that there is no guarantee that after the internship experience an intern will have secured employment (Majova 2018;Mseleku 2020). This places emphasis on the necessity for support at varying levels.…”

– The IAFOR Conference on Educational Research and Innovation: 2022 Official Conference Proceedings

“…Unemployment has become a global problem. For instance, in South Africa, the unemployment rate among fresh and old graduates is alarming (Mseleku, 2022). According to Statistics, SA (2022), it stood at 34.9 % in the third quarter of 2021.…”

Leading through multiple disruptions in a printing organisation in Durban, South Africa.

“…There are many contributing factors to the rate of unemployment in South Africa such as the above-mentioned energy crisis leading to the liquidation of organisations, the mismatch theory of unemployment which causes a gap between the skills available and the skills in demand in the market, and poor education systems that do not equip students with the relevant knowledge and skills to be of significant value in the labour market. Studies show that unemployment is greatly associated with an individual's psychological well-being, and life satisfaction, and has been linked to an increase in suicide attempts (Mseleku, 2022). Employees who experience pay cuts are put under financial stress as they must find alternative means of meeting their monthly expenses.…”

“…Employees who experience pay cuts are put under financial stress as they must find alternative means of meeting their monthly expenses. This creates a lot of tension and animosity in organisations as these employees become frustrated and demotivated (Mseleku, 2022). The statistic of unemployment has individuals in constant fear of losing their jobs due to the many disruptions impacting the South African economy.…”

“…This can lead to withdrawal in the workplace and affect employee work performance. Leaders are expected to be aware of such situations and align their leadership skills and abilities to support employees during these challenging times (Mseleku, 2022).…”