While a new crop of graduates are celebrating their hard work after a long academic battle in the hopes of using their degrees to find employment, the reality is that finding a job remains difficult, with many current graduates struggling to find employment.
With over one million students enrolled in public universities and an annual graduate output of 220,758 students, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is producing a surplus of graduates who may find it difficult to find employment, with unemployment among graduates rising, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) shows. Industries like education, construction, safety and security and agriculture are providing employment, while other industries are facing recession.
Department in 2024/2025 annual reportUniversities produced 31,316 graduates in teacher education, which is more than the planned 30,000 number. A total of 207 graduates were produced in veterinary sciences, 3,620 in doctoral programs, 11,851 in engineering, 10,218 in natural and physical sciences, 8,873 in human health sciences and 778 in animal health sciences.
Meanwhile, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges enrolled 564,089 students, but only 18,195 graduates were placed in workplaces, 21,000 less than planned.
Daily Maverick spoke to university graduates who obtained their qualifications years ago but are still facing difficulties finding a job.
graduates are facing difficulty
He explained how difficult it has become to find employment since completing tertiary education. Kwenadi Kamogelo Kwadi, who graduated from Nelson Mandela University with a Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree, said he could not find employment for almost two years after graduating.
“I'm at this internship that ends at the end of August, and it's something that's not even related to what I read. There's just this underlying fear that I don't really have anything solid.
“I live with anxiety. Some days or nights when I wake up, I have panic attacks, because of all the time I invested and the little money I got from home when I was at university, and how much I have sacrificed and how much they have sacrificed. And unfortunately, things are not going to work out the way you thought. It's the most devastating thing… I knew I wanted to study engineering, and then I came across marine engineering at university and I got interested in it. It's done,” Quady said.
A Cape Peninsula University of Technology Information and Technology Honors graduate, who wished to remain anonymous, said the negative reactions every time he applied for a job was painful.
“I graduated two years ago, if not three. I've never held a job. As a young person there are expectations at home. Every student, whenever they graduate, their parents expect something from them. I've been unemployed for a few years, and it takes a toll on me psychologically. It doesn't just affect me; it affects my family and people around me, because there are so many people who want to see me succeed,” he said. Said.
Daily Maverick also spoke briefly to a fashion graduate of Nelson Mandela University, who requested anonymity and said there was no indication of employment. She said that she has given up her fashion dream.
The graduate said, “I stopped baking cakes. It wasn't easy (to give up fashion); it was broke because I had to sell my sewing machine to pay for the baking classes.”
Cesar Smail, a chemistry graduate from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, said he could not find employment in the chemical industry and had to pursue another course at Walter Sisulu University.
“There was a stage when I felt worthless because I spent time doing chemistry, and I felt like I had wasted my time. I reached the point of depression because I was known as an undergraduate at home, not working. I had to try to study another qualification, and it's still the same case. I had to apply with completion letters because I owed money to a previous university. It's really frustrating,” said Smile.
Who is included and where?
Despite many students graduating from various fields, only a few are included in the workforce. Daily Maverick spoke to Department of Employment and Labor spokesperson Teboho Thejen, who said job opportunities registered by employers on South Africa's employment services for the period April 2025 to October 2025 were predominantly in the agriculture sector, followed by safety and security, construction and education.
referring to recent statistics sa reportHe said: “In the third quarter of 2025, the majority of graduates were absorbed in the community, finance and trade industries. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the majority of graduates were absorbed in the community, private household and trade industries; the most significant decline was seen in the finance and transportation industries between the third and fourth quarters of 2025.”
Answering whether lack of investment or skills contributed to this low intake of graduates, Theijen said it was a part of both.
Thejen said, “Skills and investment are important to create employment opportunities. The current level of high underemployment can be reduced by skills development in areas where graduates are currently in great need.”
yes program
Daily Maverick also spoke to Ravi Naidu, CEO of the Youth Employment Services (YES) programme, which addresses the country's youth unemployment crisis by empowering businesses to create jobs for our unemployed youth.
Naidu said the program has successfully employed 57,915 youth between January 2025 and April 2026.
Naidu said, “We see significant growth in future sectors. Currently, the highest volume of placements is concentrated in digital/information and communications technology, green economy (particularly renewable energy and environmental management), financial services and global business services… Of our current cohort, 47.84% are NQF level 6+ graduates (degree, diploma or higher).”
North-West University's Professor Linda du Plessis, senior vice-chancellor: teaching and learning, told Daily Maverick that higher education must adapt curriculum to employability, but this alone cannot solve the labor market mismatch. This challenge required systemic coordination between academia, industry and government. He said that students need to find opportunities using their degrees.
“SA universities are not offering idealistic but practical guidance. The advice I would give to young people and students is to diversify their skill set early on. There are lots of training possibilities to combine your degree with digital skills (data, coding, analytics), communications and project management. Skills acquisition does not always require formal qualifications. Some can be achieved through self-study or flexible online courses. Students can take part in community outreach programs, leading to project Skills can be gained in management and communication. Students should realize that a degree is not just the end of learning; it is the beginning of lifelong learning,” said Du Plessis. DM