JOHANNESBURG - As South Africa grapples with a worsening unemployment crisis, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been flooded with over 900,000 applications.
These applications are just for 5,500 police trainee posts targeting young men and women aged 18 to 35.
This influx of applications highlights the desperation of thousands of unemployed youth seeking stable employment.
With the application window set to close on 18 July, young women accounted for the majority of submissions.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, 527,673 applications have come from females, while 400,204 have come from male applicants.
The Bigger Picture Unemployment Deepens
In June, the Department of Labour recently released new statistics showing that the youth unemployment rate is now at a shocking 46.1 %
Many young people are not just looking for jobs; they are also trying to gain skills and knowledge for the careers they want to pursue.
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey by Statistics South Africa for the first quarter of 2025:
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Looking at the overall labour market:
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Innovation Director at the DG Murray Trust, Bridget Hannah, says youth have issues with accessing the world of work.
She says young people want to be involved and want to commit to their communities.
"There are not enough jobs available for young people seeking jobs," she said.