Dire reality: youth have to compete with hundreds of others applying for one job

Last year, I wrote a column about the serious issue of youth unemployment. I’ve decided to look at SA’s unemployment situation again.

Yes, the youth, our future leaders, are feeling the pain of not being able to find jobs more than anyone else, but what I’ve noticed is that the situation has worsened for all ages since Covid.

Looking at the stats – at the end of March, Daily Maverick reported that the unemployment rate in SA had maintained its dismal ascent, climbing to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 34.9% in the third quarter.

This was the highest level since the Quarterly Labour Force survey in 2008.

It was also reported that the recovery that saw the economy grow by 4.9% in 2021 had been a jobless one. The youth unemployment rate remains at a staggering 65.5%.

Yes, I agree Covid has played its part in destroying global economies – I followed the news about the stats and stories of how many highly qualified and experienced people had lost their jobs, and therefore livelihoods.

But I’m only now realising the desperation for jobs out there. Even though I’m running my own business I still get the job notifications from LinkedIn, and I share these with people I know who are actively looking.

What I realised about these LinkedIn notifications is that you can see how many people have applied already for every job that is advertised.

The sad reality is that when a job is advertised, it is primarily senior PR jobs looking for candidates with 10 years or more experience. I’m telling you that within 30 minutes to an hour of posting an advert, more than 400 people would have applied.

It dawned on me that the quarterly stats don’t indicate the desperation, but the number of people applying for one job did.

Things are far worse than the years when I started my career.

I used to think that things were bad when I applied and had to compete with about 20 suitably qualified people for jobs at SAICA, Absa and MTN, but that was nothing.

Then, my chances were one out of 20, and now it’s one out of 400-500.

It’s almost like the algorithm used to calculate our chances of winning the lotto, which is almost next to none.

We all know that no HR department will go through 400 CVs to find the person they want. When there’s so much desperation, even people who don’t have the required experience or qualifications will take their chances and apply.

That is the administrative burden HR people have to bear – sifting through all the CVs that don’t make the cut. The amount of desperation is clear if a person can apply for a job when 399 people have already applied.

It’s clear people still feel they should try their luck, so they apply and pray for the best.

Because of these staggering numbers, it’s highly possible that excellent candidates who match the requirements of the advertised jobs are not seen by HR people.

At most, HR probably looks at the first 20 CVs received and then shortlists their best five candidates from there.

So it seems it has become a first-come, first-served situation – the sooner you send in your CV, the better your chances.

However, when applying for these jobs you also need to remember you are now competing with many highly qualified people who have the experience required.

So my question is: if highly qualified and experienced people are struggling to find jobs to replace the ones they lost – then how much more for young graduates with no experience whatsoever?

I came across posts on a PR Facebook page of youth looking for in-service training/ internships for the past few years.

They are so despondent and are even saying they think the profession is useless because they cannot get jobs.

This is a clear indication of how dire the situation is.

My advice to young PR/journalism hopefuls looking for experience through internships is to volunteer at community radio stations, newspapers or even NGOs because they are always looking for extra hands to assist.

They have to be willing to take the pain of working without pay so that at least they can gain some experience because, without experience, I’m afraid their chances of getting jobs are zero to none.

Others should consider starting their own businesses because from the stats, it’s clear the economy doesn’t have enough jobs to cater for the huge number of job-seekers of all ages.

- For more information, contact me on: 068-029-8760 (voice-calls); 078-675-1297 (WhatsApp); email: miranda@strangeconsulting.co. za or Ora4117@gmail.com

- Miranda Lusiba is the founding director of Strangé Consulting – a boutique PR agency specialising in communication, media relations and training, freelance writing, and reputation management.

- Disclaimer: Miranda Lusiba & Strange Consulting retain all title, ownership and intellectual property (IP) rights to these columns and trademarks contained in all other information and supporting documents as well. This is in accordance with the SA: Copyright Act 98 of 1978 (amended) Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Act 38 of 1997.