Is Every Adult South African Potentially Employable?

July 2011 - Jobs.co.za analyses some of the recent data available in the market to try to uncover whether every adult South African has the potential to be an employable candidate. We take a look at the current un-employment rate in South Africa, while also delving deeper into the number of real active Job Seekers, compared to those that can be considered passive Job Seekers - and those who may not be looking for work at all.

According to the recent 2011 Work in Life Survey conducted by Avusa Media, over 3,000 responses were analysed of which 92% were working either full or part-time. Of these, 50% were seriously looking for a new job and 31% were considering alternative employment even though over 70% felt secure in their current positions. 19% of respondents said that they were not looking for a job at all. So there we have it, 81% of South Africans from the sample group are therefore available to recruiters or head-hunters to earn a placement fee from. Or is it so?

Let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture for a moment. While 92 % of the Work in Life survey respondents are employed in one way or another, the official unemployment rate in South Africa is currently around 25% of the labour force who are actively looking for work. According to the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), a more realistic statistic reveals that the actual employment rate in South Africa is only at 41% of the working age population (everyone aged 16 to 64). This could mean that 34% of the unemployed working age population are not actively looking for a job at all at the moment.

But why are so few unemployed people looking for a job? Is it because South Africa's welfare state is expanding so rapidly thereby encouraging people to stay home and live off grants rather than to look for work? Is it because people are turning down jobs that offer wages below their expectations? Or, is it because of the poor level of skills and education of the unemployed population in our country, leaving the question of whether or not these Job Seekers are in fact employable at all?

According to the latest survey published by the South African Institute of Race Relations, the unemployment rate amongst 15 to 24 year olds is 51% (more than double the official national unemployment rate). According to Avusa, 75% of their respondents had post-matric qualifications of which 31% have completed a formal Technical or University qualification. In comparison, South African Job Portal, Jobs.co.za, says that 68% of its database have post-matric qualifications, of which 25% have completed a formal university degree of professional qualification. Jobs.co.za says that 66% of its registered Job Seeker database are openly marketing their CV's to recruiters; while 38% prefer to hide their CV's, and 34% rely solely on job alert notifications to keep them updated on possible jobs that might pique their interest.

So then, which Job Seekers are most likely to put their CV's out into the market? According to Jobs.co.za, 80% of those candidates holding a university degree or higher are actively looking and have made their CV's visible to recruiters (with the most active group being those holding a masters degree), compared to 70% of visible job seekers with no higher than a matric certificate. It seems that those with the higher educational levels are more likely to actively market themselves than those in the lower educational groups. One has to wonder why the least qualified candidates are less likely to market themselves than the more educated candidates. This goes back to the initial question of why people are not actively looking for jobs in South Africa. Is it simply easier to live off grants than seek employment, or is it simply because these less educated individuals are becoming more despondent and therefore less active in their job search?

While many educated candidates might be secure in their current positions, they are generally open to considering new opportunities. However, they may not be as easily swayed to consider just any opportunity that is presented to them. What will entice the passive candidates to look at an opportunity - according to the Work in Life Survey - is the financial package (69%), followed by the career prospects (50%) and then overall job satisfaction (49%). Less important to candidates are fewer or more flexible working hours (25%), better location (26%) or the enticement of a higher position (31%). 42% of those surveyed listed the opportunity to expand their skills base as a main criteria for a new position.

When looking at job ads, whether print or online, Job Seekers first and foremost look for mention of salary (79%), then location of the company (72%) followed by the Job title (69%). According to Job Seekers, the least important criteria for job ads include the description of the company (45%), the training or experience offered (40%) and whether or not the company supports AA appointment (23%). While this information might be important to a Job Seeker, it is not the first thing that they look for on a job advertisement.

So where do the job seekers go to find jobs? According to Avusa, the top three sources for looking for a job includes the newspapers recruitment pages, the Internet and friends or associates, while 17% turn to social media to see what is available. Nearly three quarters of respondents have loaded their CV's onto a database with the hope of being contacted for an interview, of which more than half have been approached by prospective employers.

So is every adult South African then a potentially employable candidate?

We are all well aware that there are nowhere near enough jobs available to ensure that every South African can become employed; however there is also the issue of there being far too few qualified or suitably educated adult South Africans, leaving the country in a catch-22 situation of their simultaneously being both a jobs and skills shortage. To further fuel the unemployment crisis, there are those who are being offered jobs but are simply turning them down due to low wages, not to mention those who are simply not bothered to be looking for a job at all. So, while every adult is not necessarily employable (or even on the job market), the trick is to learn how to best attract those candidates who could be.

Author: Gillian Meier, CEO of Jobs.co.za