AS matric pupils have learned their fate with the release of their results, the reality is not all of them will go on to study. Some of them will be entering the world of work almost immediately, but with the current levels of youth unemployment in South Africa, the job hunting journey is often not very easy.

Conventional wisdom assumes that if a young person can just get a first job, they will stay in work. Recent research shows this is not the case. Our labour markets look more like a trampoline than we think: inexperienced work-seekers often fall out of and bounce back into work every few months.

National Women’s Day (9 August) celebrates the courageous women of 1956 who fought for equality and freedom in South Africa. While progress has been made, we still have a big job ahead of us to level the playing field for women in the workplace.

A recent PwC’s Executive directors: Practices and remuneration trends report found that only eight women are employed or actively looking for work for every ten employed men, although women make up more than half of the working-age population.

Sometimes the smallest interventions can have the biggest impact in helping a young person get a job. Harambee CEO, Maryana Iskander talks about why signals can matter as much as skills in youth employment.