ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has urged corporate South Africa to re-evaluate the experience criteria that often serve as a stumbling block for the employment of young people.
Speaking at the Peter Mokaba rally in Mankweng, Limpopo, on Wednesday, Mbalula highlighted the pressing need to offer opportunities to young professionals, emphasising that the reliance on prior work experience is marginalising a generation eager to contribute to the economy.
Mbalula stated that young people are being systematically excluded by companies that require them to have work experience, even when they are still in the early stages of their professional careers.
His sentiments have been previously expressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on several of his recent public platforms, including his January 8 keynote address in the Free State three years ago.
“As I conclude, I want to speak to the youth about education. As the ANC, we say to the youth, all young people must go to school. When they finish school, we say that this thing they use to block young people under the guise of experience needed must come to an end. Young people will gain experience at work. All young people must work, including those who are 35 years and above; they must be employed in this country,” Mbalula stated.
The urgency of Mbalula’s message comes in the wake of alarming unemployment statistics. In May 2025, Stats SA reported that 46.1% of South Africans aged 15 to 34 were unemployed, up from 36.9% a decade earlier.
These figures starkly reflect the simmering crisis of youth unemployment in the nation, and the demand for systemic change is ever more pressing.
In June last year, echoing similar sentiments, Ramaphosa launched the SA Youth Mobi portal as part of his Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), encouraging the private sector to leverage this tool to create job opportunities.
https://x.com/MbalulaFikile/status/2008962650361745796
Diving deeper into the unemployment trends, recent data further reveal contrasting job prospects based on educational attainment.
Unemployment rates are grim: a staggering 10.4% for university graduates, compared to a daunting 34% for those who have completed only their matric, while vocational training holders experience a relatively lower 20.8% unemployment rate.
These statistics raise crucial questions about the effectiveness of current hiring practices that disregard potential talent based solely on experience.
Mbalula indicated that even though young people remain the most affected by the country’s relentless unemployment rate, the economy has recovered enough to ensure young people benefit from a slightly positive economic environment.
“The economy is doing well, comrades, and it is going to deliver jobs for our people. Better things are happening in this country. We are on the right path under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa. We must work together to fight crime,” he added.
