The current South African labour market shows that skills are rewarded and that further training significantly improves school leavers’ chances of getting a job. This is according to trade union Solidarity which released its latest report on job prospects for matriculants shortly before the announcement of the 2014 matric results.

Solidarity said there is hope for those matriculants who want to pursue studies and advised the 2014 matriculants to obtain qualifications through further study. The trade union stressed that a matric certificate is only the beginning of the preparation for the modern work environment.

Paul Joubert, senior economics researcher at the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), says matriculants should bear in mind that the high unemployment rate in South Africa is, among other things, due to the fact that only 13% of the adult population have tertiary qualifications.