South Africa’s unemployment and social unrest ‘ticking time bomb’ 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that South Africa’s high unemployment rate, particularly among the youth, is a “ticking time bomb” that could lead to social unrest.  

The UNDP’s report focused on youth employability and highlighted the challenges of youth unemployment, limiting earning potential, stymieing business growth, and threatening social cohesion. South Africa has the worst youth unemployment rate among all included countries, with over 10 million young people aged 15-24, and only 2.5 million of them in the labor force.  

The report also warned that prolonged unemployment could lead to the erosion of skills and human capital, creating a lost generation. Financial advisory firm PwC noted that structural constraints limiting growth, load-shedding, and infrastructure deterioration are driving unemployment higher, and if not addressed, the country could face growing social unrest. 

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