Q1 2026
VUKA.
Q1 2026 · Live data

Will this qualification get you a job?

The verified intelligence layer for the 13 million SA learners deciding what to study, where, and why. Built from DHET, Stats SA, SAGEA, OECD & Xpatweb.

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62.4%Youth Unemployment 15–24 yrs·~10%Graduate Unemployment·84%Employers can't find right skills·31.9%National Unemployment·15%SA STEM graduates (vs 23% OECD)·>50%Skills mismatch (worst of 30 countries)·R470K+Top graduate starting salary·58%SA jobs located in Gauteng·~7%SA adults with university degree·62.4% → ~10%Youth unemployment if you graduate·62.4%Youth Unemployment 15–24 yrs·~10%Graduate Unemployment·84%Employers can't find right skills·31.9%National Unemployment·15%SA STEM graduates (vs 23% OECD)·>50%Skills mismatch (worst of 30 countries)·R470K+Top graduate starting salary·58%SA jobs located in Gauteng·~7%SA adults with university degree·62.4% → ~10%Youth unemployment if you graduate·
The state of play

SA in four numbers.

62.4%
Youth 15–24 Unemployment
Stats SA QLFS Q1:2025
31.9%
National Unemployment (Narrow)
Stats SA QLFS Q4:2024
~10%
Graduate Unemployment
QLFS · LMI 2024 · SAGEA 2025
84%
Corporates that can't find skills
Xpatweb 2025 (↑ from 79% in 2024)

Source: Stats SA QLFS · Xpatweb 2025 · LMI Research · SAGEA

VUKA key insight

A degree gets you in the door — but only the right degree pays the rent.

Graduate unemployment sits at ~10% vs the national 31.9%. But field of study, institution and work-readiness decide whether you earn R8K or R47K a month.

See what employers actually want →
Three things to do next

Pick your starting point.

01
Pathways

The careers map

Green, yellow and red signals on every major qualification — from artisan trades to actuarial science.

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02
Skills

What employers want

84% of large SA corporates can't find skilled talent. Engineers, ICT, artisans, healthcare and renewables top the list.

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03
Game

Classroom mode

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Verified intelligence

Five facts every learner needs.

  1. 01

    Youth unemployment in South Africa hit 62.4% for ages 15–24 in Q1:2025 — the highest in a decade. Having no qualification is catastrophic.

    Stats SA QLFS Q1:2025

  2. 02

    Graduate unemployment is approximately 10% — vs 31.9% nationally. A degree remains the single strongest predictor of employment.

    Stats SA QLFS · SAGEA 2025 · LMI 2024

  3. 03

    84% of large SA corporates and multinationals cannot find skilled talent (up from 79% in 2024). The problem is not too many graduates — it's the wrong graduates.

    Xpatweb Critical Skills 2025 (381 employers)

  4. 04

    Top-paying graduate roles 2025: Actuarial, Quant Analysts, Retail Banking, Investment, Data Analytics, Engineering — all require Pure Maths.

    SAGEA Employer Benchmark 2025 (78 employers)

  5. 05

    AI/ML Engineering is the best overall career for pay and outlook (R700K–R1M+ entry). AI placements grew 96% Q4:2024 → Q1:2025.

    SalaryExpert · Pnet · Regenesys 2025

All 15 facts →
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