Job vacancies exist, young people exist, why aren’t they meeting?

South Africa (Africa and Globally) is living a hiring contradiction, vacancies stay open while young people stay unemployed. That doesn’t happen because people don’t want to work or companies don’t want to hire, it happens when measures, proxies, access, and trust break down (and let’s be honest eliminating the human element too). 

Young People can’t get in (the “first job wall”)

Employers often say “we need experience” for entry level positions, but nearly 6 in 10 unemployed young people are still waiting for their first chance to get experience. 

The Hard Stats:

In South Africa Q1 2025, Stats SA reports 4.8 million unemployed youth, and 58.7% of them have no previous work experience. That’s the experience paradox quantified. Youth unemployment (15–34) in SA was reported at 46.1% (Q1 2025). (Stats SA, 2025). Unemployment youth also include tertiary education graduates who spent years studying only to not find a job after graduating. 

The reality is that many young people can’t afford to be unemployed so they settle on insecure work. This isn’t just about joblessness, it’s about pathways. Millions are either locked out or stuck in work that doesn’t build a career. 

Employers still can’t fill roles (the “demand-side pain”)

ManpowerGroup’s 2025 Talent Shortage reporting says 74% of employers globally are struggling to find the skilled talent they need, and their survey includes South Africa in the countries covered (ManPower, 2025).

When 74% of employers say they’re struggling to fill roles, while millions of youth can’t get hired, the bottleneck isn’t motivation. It’s the system.

The future is skills based

Let’s be honest, where have CV’s gotten us for entry level hiring? There’s enough evidence to show that skills based hiring widens access to talentpools as opposed to relying on CV’s and traditional hiring methods. 

The Mismatch Loop

• Signal failure: CV’s and educational pedigree don’t predict entry-level performance well (especially in unequal contexts). CV’s are often a record of access, not ability. 

  
  

• Process friction: portals and long timelines create drop-off and noise.

  
  

• Overload: recruiters and hiring managers face volume, rely on shortcuts, exclude high-potential youth.

  
  

• Trust collapse: candidates expect silence, disengage; employers see low response quality, tighten filters.

  
  

• Loop repeats.

System Redesign

Youth hiring in South Africa, Africa and globally needs a different operating system. One that reduces friction, replaces CV sorting with evidence, and gives employers comparable signals of potential at scale. 

At Qala, we’re building a mobile first sourcing and screening that uses behaviour driven assessments to showcase young people’s potential so employers can get wider access, richer insights, shortlist faster using meaningful signals, and young people can be assessed on potential. 

The goal isn’t ‘more applicants’. It’s better signals, faster matching and greater access.”

www.qala.work