No Connections, No Employment: Social Capital and Youth Graduate Unemployment in South Africa
Zethembe Mseleku 
Issue: Vol.6 No.8 Article 20 pp.1533 – 1546
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256820 | Published online 18th July, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
South Africa continues to battle against the constantly increasing unemployment rate despite the major improvements in the massification of higher education. Young people, in particular, are at the receiving end of the stubborn unemployment problem, and the increasing graduate unemployment is a cause for concern. This paper thus explored the perspectives of unemployed young graduates regarding the association of nepotism, favoritism, and the struggle of young graduates to find employment in South Africa. The study employed the lens of social capital theory to explain the “connections phenomenon” in relation to graduate unemployment in South Africa. Primary qualitative data was solicited through face-to-face semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 graduates. The findings indicate that young graduates perceived nepotism and favoritism as significant factors that determine the probability of finding employment, particularly in South Africa’s public sector institutions. The findings revealed that the connections phenomenon in South Africa occurs through family members, relatives, friendships, political affiliations, and professional networks. Thus, graduates without connections, particularly from poor families, are disadvantaged in the labor market. This paper concluded that high unemployment is a driving force for nepotism and favoritism in South Africa’s labor market. Therefore, addressing nepotism and favoritism largely depends on increasing the labor force demand in South Africa.
Keywords: Connections, Graduate Unemployment, Nepotism, Youth.
Abd Rahman, Nur Hayati, Shafinar Ismail, Abdul Rahim Ridzuan, and Khairunnisa Abd Samad. “The Issue of Graduate Unemployment in Malaysia: Post Covid-19.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 10, no. 10 (October 25, 2020). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i10/7843.
Abdirahman Farah, Salah, and Hussein Abdi Ali. “A Study on the Causes of Unemployment among University Graduates in Kenya: A Case of Garissa County, Kenya.” Open Journal of Economics and Commerce 1, no. 1 (2018): 55–60. https://doi.org/10.22259/2638-549X.0101007.
Airi, S. E., R. I. Ounakpo, and H. A. Anebi-Atede. “Impact of Graduate Unemployment on the Economic Growth of the Nigerian Economy.” International Journal of Advanced Academic Research 2, no. 3 (2016): 1–16.
Ampong, Emmanuel. “Graduate Unemployment In Ghana: Challenges And Workable Strategies.” International Journal of Research Publications 57, no. 1 (July 16, 2020): 108–29. https://doi.org/10.47119/IJRP100571720201344.
Asmare, Yohannes, and Missaye Mulatie. “A Tale of Youth Graduates Unemployment.” Global Journal of Human Social Science (A) 14, no. 4 (2014): 46–51.
Baron-Puda, Maria. “Improving Graduate Employability through Internship Programs.” Regional Barometer. Analyses & Prognoses 15, no. 1 (2017): 107–14.
Bennett, Dawn. “Graduate Employability and Higher Education: Past, Present and Future.” HERDSA Review of Higher Education 5 (2019): 31–61.
Bianchi, Michele, and Marcelo Vieta. “Co-Operatives, Territories and Social Capital: Reconsidering a Theoretical Framework.” International Journal of Social Economics 47, no.12(2020): 1599–1617.
Bless, Claire, Craig Higson-Smith, and Sello Sithole. Social Research Methods: An African Perspective. Cape Town: Juta, 1995.
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners. London: Sage, 2019.
Bushway, Shawn, Irineo Cabreros, Jessica Welburn Paige, Daniel Schwam, and Jeffrey B. Wenger. “Barred from Employment: More than Half of Unemployed Men in Their 30s Had a Criminal History of Arrest.” Science Advances 8, no. 7 (February 18, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj6992.
Carey, Allison, Blyden Potts, Diane Bryen, and Jui Shankar. “Networking towards Employment: Experiences of People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication.” Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities (RPSD) 29 (January 1, 2004).
Castilla, Emilio J., George J. Lan, and Ben A. Rissing. “Social Networks and Employment: Outcomes (Part 2).” Sociology Compass 7, no. 12 (December 2, 2013): 1013–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12095.
Ceci, Federica, Francesca Masciarelli, and Simone Poledrini. “How Social Capital Affects Innovation in a Cultural Network.” European Journal of Innovation Management 23, no. 5 (November 7, 2019): 895–918. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-06-2018-0114.
Davis, Joanna, Hans-Georg Wolff, Monica L. Forret, and Sherry E. Sullivan. “Networking via LinkedIn: An Examination of Usage and Career Benefits.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 118 (April 2020): 103396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103396.
Feng, Ying, David Lagakos, and James E Rauch. “Unemployment and Development.” The Economic Journal 134, no. 658 (January 29, 2024): 614–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/uead076.
Gannon, Brenda, and Jennifer Roberts. “Social Capital: Exploring the Theory and Empirical Divide.” Empirical Economics 58, no. 3 (March 6, 2020): 899–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-018-1556-y.
Gerard, Joseph G. “Linking in With LinkedIn®.” Journal of Management Education 36, no. 6 (December 7, 2012): 866–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562911413464.
Graham, Lauren, Leilanie Williams, and Charity Chisoro. “Barriers to the Labour Market for Unemployed Graduates in South Africa.” Journal of Education and Work 32, no. 4 (May 19, 2019): 360–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2019.1620924.
Hailu Demeke, Yemareshet. “Youth Unemployment and Political Instability: Evidence from IGAD Member Countries.” Cogent Economics & Finance 10, no. 1 (December 31, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2079211.
Han, Seung Hyun, Seung Won Yoon, and Chugnil Chae. “Building Social Capital and Learning Relationships through Knowledge Sharing: A Social Network Approach of Management Students’ Cases.” Journal of Knowledge Management 24, no. 4 (May 29, 2020): 921–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-11-2019-0641.
Helyer, Ruth, and Dionne Lee. “The Role of Work Experience in the Future Employability of Higher Education Graduates.” Higher Education Quarterly 68, no. 3 (July 23, 2014): 348–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12055.
Hossain, Mohammad Imtiaz, Kalai Selvi Yagamaran, Tanzila Afrin, Nasimuzzaman Limon, Md Nasiruzzaman, and Asif Mahbub Karim. “Factors Influencing Unemployment among Fresh Graduates: A Case Study in Klang Valley, Malaysia.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 8, no. 9 (October 2, 2018). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i9/4859.
Hwang, Youngsik. “What Is the Cause of Graduates’ Unemployment? Focus on Individual Concerns and Perspectives.” Journal of Educational Issues 3, no. 2 (August 1, 2017): 1. https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v3i2.11378.
Islam, Sayed Azharul, and Md. Amanullah. “The Effect of Unemployment on Mental Health: A Study on the University Graduates of Bangladesh.” Khulna University Studies, March 19, 2024. https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2024.21.01.1074-mb.
Iwu, Chux Gervase, Promise Abdullah Opute, Rylyne Nchu, Chuks Eresia-Eke, Robertson Khan Tengeh, Olumide Jaiyeoba, and Olayemi Abdullateef Aliyu. “Entrepreneurship Education, Curriculum and Lecturer-Competency as Antecedents of Student Entrepreneurial Intention.” The International Journal of Management Education 19, no. 1 (March 2021): 100295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.03.007.
Kapareliotis, Ilias, Katerina Voutsina, and Athanasios Patsiotis. “Internship and Employability Prospects: Assessing Student’s Work Readiness.” Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning 9, no. 4 (September 20, 2019): 538–49. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-08-2018-0086.
Kaushal, Neelam, Suman Ghalawat, and Rahul Kaurav. “Nepotism Concept Evaluation: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis.” Library Philosophy and Practice 2021 (February 11, 2021).
Kwon, Seok-Woo, and Paul S. Adler. “Social Capital: Maturation of a Field of Research.” Academy of Management Review 39, no. 4 (October 2014): 412–22. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2014.0210.
Kyne, Dean, and Daniel P. Aldrich. “Capturing Bonding, Bridging, and Linking Social Capital through Publicly Available Data.” Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy 11, no. 1 (March 6, 2020): 61–86. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12183.
Lill, Rinet van, and Therese Maria Bakker. “Life at a Stop Sign: Narrative Plots of the Transition to Adulthood During Unemployment Among South African Graduates.” Emerging Adulthood 10, no. 1 (February 14, 2022): 124–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696820937879.
Lin, Nan. “Building a Network Theory of Social Capital.” In Social Capital, 3–28. Routledge, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315129457-1.
Mago, Stephen. “Urban Youth Unemployment in Africa: Whither Socio-Economic Problems.” Mediterranean Journal Os Social Sciences 5, no. 9 (2014): 33–40.
Melchior, Maria, Aude Chollet, Gulizar Elidemir, Cédric Galéra, and Nadia Younès. “Unemployment and Substance Use in Young Adults: Does Educational Attainment Modify the Association?” European Addiction Research 21, no. 3 (2015): 115–23. https://doi.org/10.1159/000365887.
Mlambo, Daniel. “Fighting Public Sector Corruption in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Progress on Paper, Hurdles on the Ground.” In Mbali Conference 2023 Proceedings, 326, 2023.
Mseleku, Zethembe. “Youth High Unemployment/Unemployability in South Africa: The Unemployed Graduates’ Perspectives.” Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning 12, no. 4 (July 15, 2022): 775–90. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-06-2021-0114.
Nachatar Singh, Jasvir Kaur. “Challenges in Obtaining Employment in China: Lived Experiences of Australian Chinese Graduates.” Australian Journal of Career Development 29, no. 3 (October 30, 2020): 153–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1038416220947085.
Nnaemeka, Nathaniel. “Does Corruption Matter for Unemployment? Investigating the Role of Bribery, Favouritism and Nepotism Corrupt Practices in Employment, Evidence from Nigeria.” Journal of Developing Economies 3, no. 1 (November 25, 2021): 32–50. https://doi.org/10.47672/jde.853.
Nortje, Martinus Jacobus. “The Effect of Poverty on Education in South Africa.” Educor Multidisciplinary Journal 1, no. 1 (2017): 47–62.
Ntshiza, Sibusiso Blessing. “Assessing the Causes of Youth Unemployment in Durban Townships: The Case of Cato Manor.” University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College, 2018.
Nyukorong, Remy. “Corruption, Nepotism or the ‘Whom You Know’ Factor and How It Affects Recruitment in the Banking Sector of Ghana.”Developing Countries Studies 4,no.24(2014):38–53.
Odongo, Ignatius, and Paul Pinamang Kyei. “The Role of Government in Promoting Youth Entrepreneurship: The Case of South Africa.” Journal of Social Development in Africa 33, no. 2 (2018): 11–36.
Oluwajodu, Faith, Lorraine Greyling, Derick Blaauw, and Ewert P J Kleynhans. “Graduate Unemployment in South Africa: Perspectives from the Banking Sector.” SA Journal of Human Resource Management 13, no. 1 (2015): 1–9.
Onodugo, Chris Ifeanyi. “Graduate Unemployment and Economic Growth: Nigerian Experience under Democratic Government.” International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science 3, no. 1 (2015): 1389–93.
Raffiee, Joseph, and Heejung Byun. “Revisiting the Portability of Performance Paradox: Employee Mobility and the Utilization of Human and Social Capital Resources.” Academy of Management Journal 63, no. 1 (2020): 34–63.
Ramnund-Mansingh, Aradhana, and Nikita Reddy. “South African Specific Complexities in Aligning Graduate Attributes to Employability.” Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability 12, no. 2 (July 30, 2021): 206–21. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2021vol12no2art1025.
Rashid, Md Harunur, and Md Ashraful Islam. “Impacts of Unemployment on Graduates in Bangladesh: A Case Study.” Br. J. Arts Humanit 2, no. 5 (2020): 87–94.
Schilpzand, Pauline, Constantin Lagios, and Simon Lloyd D. Restubog. “Family First: An Integrative Conceptual Review of Nepotism in Organizations.” Human Resource Management 64, no. 1 (January 21, 2025): 157–80. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22253.
Seekings, Jeremy. “Young People’s Entry into the Labour Market in South Africa.” In Towards Carnegie III: Strategies to Overcome Poverty and Inequality Conference, University of Cape Town, 3–7, 2012.
Sekwati, Dimakatso, and Mbulaheni Albert Dagume. “Effect of Unemployment and Inflation on Economic Growth in South Africa.” International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues 13, no. 1 (January 14, 2023): 35–45. https://doi.org/10.32479/ijefi.13447.
Shaheen, Sadia, Sehar Zulfiqar, Sharjeel Saleem, and Gulshan Shehazadi. “Does Organizational Cronyism Lead to Lower Employee Performance? Examining the Mediating Role of Employee Engagement and Moderating Role of Islamic Work Ethics.” Frontiers in Psychology 11 (October 2, 2020). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.579560.
Statistics South Africa. Quarterly Labour Force Survey: Quarter 2 2024. Pretoria: Statistical Release P0211, 2024.
Timonen, Virpi, Jo Greene, and Ayeshah Émon. “‘We’Re Meant to Be Crossing Over … but the Bridge Is Broken’: 2020 University Graduates’ Experiences of the Pandemic in Ireland.” Young 29, no. 4 (September 4, 2021): 349–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088211004792.
Tukur, Ibrahim Talasse, and Chukwuebuka Cornelius Aguiyi. “Poor Education, Unemployment and National Security in Nigeria.” NIU Journal of Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (March 31, 2022): 187–97. https://doi.org/10.58709/niujss.v8i1.1428.
Vasileiou, Konstantina, Julie Barnett, Susan Thorpe, and Terry Young. “Characterising and Justifying Sample Size Sufficiency in Interview-Based Studies: Systematic Analysis of Qualitative Health Research over a 15-Year Period.” BMC Medical Research Methodology 18, no. 1 (December 21, 2018): 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7.
Yasin, Mudassar, Nimra Tahir, Manan Aslam, Allah Bakhsh, Sammi Ullah, Muhammad Ali Imran, and Muhammad Tanveer Khaliq. “The Impact of Nepotism on Employment Status in Public Sector Institutions: An Evidence from Fresh Graduates of Pakistan.” Journal of Economic Impact 1, no. 1 (2019): 7–11.
Dr. Zethembe Mseleku is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Public Governance within the School of Commerce at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Public Policy, a Master’s degree in Development Studies, and a second Master’s degree in Social Policy. Dr Mseleku is an esteemed alumnus of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS). He has published research articles in peer-reviewed national and international journals in the areas of rural development, community development, public policy, unemployment, and education. He has presented his research at national and international conferences.
Mseleku, Zethembe. “No Connections, No Employment: Social Capital and Youth Graduate Unemployment in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.8 (2025): 1533 – 1546. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256820
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
