Young women in South Africa continue to face a significant employment disadvantage, with their employment rate approximately 10 percentage points below that of young men, according to the latest Breaking Barriers report from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.
Released during Women’s Month, the quarterly labour market insights report examines South Africa’s youth employment challenge through a gender lens and argues that women can serve as “employment bellwethers” for wider labour market conditions.
The report draws on data from the national Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Harambee’s income survey, real-time information from the SA Youth platform and the experiences of young people navigating pathways into work.
Young women continue to face major employment barriers
According to the report, the number of young women employed in South Africa fell by 11% between the first quarters of 2008 and 2026, representing approximately 298,000 fewer jobs. The broad unemployment rate among young women reached 60%.
Sharmi Surianarain, Chief Impact Officer at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, said the headline figures could give the impression that little has changed over time.
“At the highest level, the data paints a superficial picture of stasis: women continue to lag men in overall employment, with the gender gap between male and female youth unemployment narrowing by a mere 2 percentage points over the past 18 years,” Surianarain said.
The report argues that women experience greater effects from economic shocks and structural barriers affecting unemployed young people more broadly.
This makes changes in women’s employment rates an important indicator of wider labour market conditions, while interventions designed to address barriers faced by women can also produce broader economic benefits.
Care responsibilities remain a major barrier
Unequal responsibility for unpaid care is identified as one of the structural factors limiting women’s participation in the labour market.
The report states that 52% of care work in South Africa is unpaid, with women spending approximately 3.8 hours per day on unpaid care compared with 1.6 hours for men.
Women who are employed in the formal economy also remain less likely to reach top management positions and face a significant earnings gap. The report cites estimates putting South Africa’s gender pay gap between 23% and 35%, compared with a global average of approximately 20%.
Self-employment provides opportunities but remains uneven
The report also highlights the role of self-employment among young women using the SA Youth platform.
Women account for nearly three-quarters of self-employed placements reported by participants on the platform. However, many are concentrated in activities such as hair and beauty services, childcare, and the sale of goods and food.
These activities tend to generate lower incomes. According to the report, food sales generate the lowest average income among the self-employment activities captured, at approximately R514 per week.
Some sectors are creating more opportunities for women
Despite the challenges, the report identifies areas where women’s employment has grown faster than men’s.
Between 2008 and 2026, employment among young women increased by 16% in business services and 30% in community services. This compares with increases of 4% and 7%, respectively, among young men.
Women’s representation in these sectors consequently increased by between three and five percentage points.
Traditionally male-dominated industries are also showing signs of change. In mining and quarrying, employment among young women increased by 79% from a relatively low base of approximately 19,000 workers in 2008, with growth recorded in both manual and higher-skilled occupations.
Global Business Services offers a model for inclusive growth
The Global Business Services (GBS) sector is highlighted as an example of how inclusion can be incorporated into the design of economic growth initiatives.
Since 2018, the sector has created 153,574 jobs, according to the report. Young people accounted for 90% of those jobs, while women represented 64% of beneficiaries.
Harambee argues that these results demonstrate how targeted interventions can help address employment barriers while supporting broader economic growth.
“Women are still behind men in the employment stakes, trailing them in access, earnings, and stability. This is a missed opportunity, because when women advance in the labour market, everyone gains, potentially increasing global GDP by 20%,” Surianarain said.
The report calls on employers, policymakers and ecosystem partners to strengthen pathways into work and improve labour market outcomes for young people.
The full analysis is available in Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator’s latest Breaking Barriers report.
About Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a not-for-profit social enterprise working with government, the private sector, civil society and young people to address youth unemployment in South Africa.
As an anchor partner in the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, Harambee operates and manages SA Youth, a national online recruitment platform connecting young people with earning opportunities and employers with young talent.
The SA Youth network supports more than 4.6 million young work-seekers and over 3,000 employers. The platform has connected more than 1.6 million young work-seekers to earning opportunities across the economy.
Source
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
