Abstract:
This report has two related objectives. The first is to clarify the relationship between the length of stay in education and access to the job market based on South African household survey data. The second is to contribute to what is known about what influences participation in higher education institutions for young South Africans who have successfully completed secondary school. Regarding the first objective, previous studies have shown that young South Africans who obtain a post-grade 12 qualification benefit from greater employment opportunities in both the formal and informal sector. In section 1 of the report we interrogate this by examining how much better off a young qualified South African in the job market is compared to a less qualified contemporary. Over the post-apartheid period matriculants have faced a hostile labour market when they exited school. Youth unemployment is very high and the norm rather than the exception in many communities. If tertiary education is seen as providing a successful route into the labour market, then the benefits will be perceived to be large and, subject to financial constraints, there will be strong demand for tertiary options.

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The Demand for Tertiary Education in South Africa