Some assumptions are hard to shake, especially when they feel intuitive. Take the idea that economic growth is the primary driver of job creation — an argument that politicians have long made. But data is increasingly telling a different story. Growth can happen without a rise in new jobs, a phenomenon known as “jobless growth”, where the economy produces value — counted as GDP — but employment doesn’t go up. In South Africa, labour force data since 2008 shows that economic growth is decoupled from youth employment — it doesn’t translate into jobs for young people.

Even when the economy grows, the formal sector isn’t able to create enough jobs for the people who need them. Not even rapid growth can close this gap. So, if growth isn’t the answer, what is? Bringing down youth unemployment requires a combination of interventions across a young person’s journey, including state-funded public employment programmes, which act as a support scaffold for those in low-income communities.

In this podcast, we challenge assumptions about youth unemployment with Dr Kate Philip, Programme Lead at the Presidential Employment Stimulus, and explore why she thinks public employment programmes should be here to stay.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za