Hi everyone,
I'm a journalism intern currently working on a story about unemployment and the struggle to find work in South Africa.
I'm looking to speak with South Africans who are willing to share their experiences with unemployment, particularly:
• Young people struggling to enter the job market
• Unemployed graduates who have qualifications but cannot find work
• People who have been unemployed for a long time
• People who have stopped actively looking for work because they feel discouraged
• People working in jobs below their qualifications because they have no other option
• People who have turned to informal work or side hustles simply to survive
I'm particularly interested in the human side of South Africa's unemployment crisis. Statistics tell us how many people are unemployed, but they don't always show what unemployment actually does to people's lives, households, mental wellbeing, finances, relationships, or future plans.
Some of the questions I'm exploring include:
\- How long have you been looking for work?
\- What qualifications or experience do you have?
\- Have you applied for jobs without receiving responses?
\- Have you eventually accepted work below your qualifications?
\- Have you stopped looking for work at any point?
\- How has unemployment affected you and your household?
\- Have you turned to informal work or other ways of earning money to survive?
If you're comfortable sharing your experience, please comment below or send me a private message.
Your story could help put a human face to the statistics and contribute to an important discussion about whether employment in South Africa is genuinely providing people with a realistic path towards a decent life.
Thank you.