This page hosts the key findings of a research project Livity Africa commissioned in 2011 with the Consumer Insight Agency, trying to get under the skin of the youth unemployment problem in south Africa: the country’s ‘ticking timebomb’.

It was one of the first projects we set out to complete when in South Africa: partly to aid our own understanding of, and immersion into, young South Africa, and partly to inform key objectives and dynamics of Live Magazine SA.

The main bulk of the research are a series of video interviews where young people describe these challenges, divided into the key factors we thought important – with an intro and final recommendations from the CIA.

NB For the purposes of presenting the research on this blog, it’s been adapted and shortened from the original presentation.

1. The Context

2. No jobs

3. Soft skills

4. Nepotism

5. Work experience

6. No Further Education

7. No skills

8. The education system

9. Internet skills

10. Disconnection

11. Big dreams

12. Role models

13. The next generation

14. Parental pressure

15. CV strategy

16. Further education

17. Mentorship

18. Positive examples: Zazi

19. Positive examples: Meshack

20. Positive examples: Headhoncho

21. Positive examples: 7455

22. Intervention

23. Volunteering Part 1

24. Volunteering Part 2

25. Intervention information

26. Live Magazine