People & Leadership

4 Recruitment Strategies to Improve Your Hiring Game

Youth unemployment remains a major challenge in South Africa. These four recruitment strategies can help your business attract, hire, and retain young talent.

Published August 19, 20268 min read Share

According to Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Q2 2026, South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026.

Youth unemployment also remains high, with the rate for people aged 15 to 34 reported at 47.4%.

Quick answer

Recruiting young talent in South Africa works best when:

• employers start building relationships early,
• use the hiring channels younger candidates already use,
• create a clear talent pipeline,
• and show new hires how they can learn, progress, and stay with the business.

Key takeaways

• Youth unemployment remains a major labour market challenge in South Africa, according to Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
• Employers that adapt their recruitment approach can reach young candidates other businesses may overlook.
• The Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) may reduce the employees’ tax an employer pays for qualifying young employees, subject to meeting SARS criteria.
• Four practical strategies can help: start professional development early, use the right recruitment channels, build a talent pipeline, and give new hires a clear reason to stay.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Who are these recruitment strategies for?

These strategies are for South African employers and HR teams, particularly small and medium businesses that want to recruit and retain younger employees.

They are also useful for businesses hiring for the first time, building a graduate pipeline, or creating entry-level roles.

Addressing youth unemployment requires businesses to see young candidates as a long-term talent opportunity.

Younger employees can bring fresh ideas, energy, and a willingness to learn.

Employers may also be able to benefit from the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI), a SARS incentive that reduces the employees’ tax an employer pays for each qualifying young employee.

Businesses should confirm the latest ETI eligibility rules with SARS or a qualified adviser before relying on the incentive.

Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa under 30. Businesses that fail to find ways to reach young people may struggle to attract the skills they need in future.

How should employers adapt their recruitment approach?

If HR professionals and employers want to reach younger candidates, they need to review the recruitment process and challenge long-standing hiring habits.

This can make the business more visible to the people it wants to employ and help secure its future workforce.

The four strategies below can help employers make youth recruitment more practical, targeted, and sustainable.

1. How can you build a youth talent pipeline early?

Strategic recruiting practices help HR teams use their time and resources more effectively.

When hiring young people, the process should start before a role becomes urgent, because younger candidates may still be developing the skills and experience your business needs.

Businesses cannot expect entry-level candidates to have years of experience.

If you want to bring young people into your organisation, you need to give them structured opportunities to learn.

If this is not something your business can support immediately, consider programmes that reach students early in their academic careers.

These programmes can help them build skills while studying and give them early contact with professionals in their industry of interest.

Practical ways to start early

• Create internship, graduate, learner, or entry-level pathways where suitable for the role and business.
• Build relationships with schools, colleges, universities, training providers, and community organisations.
• Offer shadowing, mentoring, skills sessions, or project-based experience where capacity allows.
• Track promising candidates so you can keep in touch before a vacancy opens.

2. Which recruitment channels help you reach younger candidates?

Take time to understand what the generation you are targeting cares about and where they search for opportunities.

This helps you position each role more clearly and use the channels most likely to reach suitable candidates.

Many young people are comfortable using digital tools, so your recruitment activity should be easy to find online:

• Post open roles on relevant social media channels.
• Use web-based recruitment platforms.
• Add a Careers page to your website so candidates can view current opportunities.

A clear Careers page can also help candidates who are already interested in your business.

Someone is unlikely to visit your website and look for vacancies unless they already want to know more about what you do.

3. How can you rethink hiring practices to reach more young talent?

Getting strategic about hiring means developing a talent pipeline rather than relying only on a talent pool. A talent pool includes all potential candidates.

A talent pipeline focuses on candidates who meet the requirements you are looking for and who may be suitable for future roles.

For HR teams and hiring managers, rethinking hiring means challenging the idea that talent only comes from familiar places.

Many recruiters have preferred channels, but those channels may not reach younger candidates effectively.

Consider adding less frequently used sources into the mix.

Online recruitment is useful, but offline recruitment methods, such as face-to-face events, can also help you connect with new candidates.

You could also ask existing employees to refer suitable people for open positions within the business.

Ways to widen your candidate sources

• Review whether role requirements are realistic for entry-level candidates.
• Separate essential skills from skills that can be developed after hiring.
• Use employee referrals, community networks, training organisations, and career events alongside online platforms.
• Keep records of promising candidates so future hiring is less reactive.

4. How can you give new hires a reason to stay and grow?

“What does my future look like as part of this team?” is a question many new employees ask when they join a business, especially younger employees.

Giving a potential hire a clear picture of career progression can influence their decision to accept a job offer.

Make this clear during the recruitment process.

Training schemes that build both hard and soft skills can attract candidates who are thinking about long-term career progression and personal development.

A job rotation programme can also help new employees understand what different teams do and where their skills may fit best.

This gives young employees a clearer view of possible career paths inside the business.

A mentoring or buddy programme can help new hires find their feet.

One-to-one support gives young employees a place to ask questions, share concerns, and learn from more experienced colleagues.

Common mistakes when recruiting young talent

• Expecting entry-level candidates to already have years of experience.
• Relying only on the recruitment channels your business has always used.
• Offering no visible path for career progression once someone is hired.
• Treating recruitment as a one-off search instead of an ongoing talent pipeline.
• Failing to explain what training, mentoring, or support is available after hiring.

Youth recruitment checklist for employers

1. Define what skills are essential for the role and what can be learned on the job.
2. Choose recruitment channels that match where younger candidates search for roles.
3. Create a clear Careers page or vacancy listing that explains the role, expectations, and growth opportunities.
4. Build a pipeline of promising candidates before roles become urgent.
5. Explain training, mentoring, job rotation, or progression opportunities during the hiring process.
6. Check whether any incentive, including ETI, applies to the role and employee before making claims about eligibility.

What does this mean for your business?

Youth recruitment is not only about filling vacancies.

It is about building a workforce that can develop with your business.

Employers that invest in young talent early, use relevant channels, and support new hires after recruitment are better placed to compete for skills in a difficult labour market.

The strategic hunt for talent

Recruitment is no longer just a hunt for talent. It is a strategic, data-led activity.

Sage 300 People is an HR, payroll, and employee self-service solution that can help businesses unlock workforce insights and align recruitment and hiring with broader business goals.

Businesses looking to improve recruitment and HR processes can also add modules or ISV solutions, such as Direct Hire, to support parts of the recruitment process.

South Africa’s youth unemployment challenge is also a talent opportunity.

Businesses that rethink how, where, and when they recruit, and support this with the right HR and payroll tools, are better placed to build the workforce they need for the future.

Frequently asked questions on recruiting young talent in South Africa

Why is youth recruitment important for South African businesses?

Youth recruitment helps South African businesses reach a large group of candidates at a time when youth unemployment remains high.

It can also help employers build skills for future roles instead of competing only for quality hires.

What is the Employment Tax Incentive?

The Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) is a SARS incentive that may allow qualifying employers to reduce the PAYE they pay when employing eligible young workers.

Employers should check the latest SARS criteria before relying on the incentive.

How can small businesses attract younger candidates?

Small businesses can attract younger candidates by using relevant social media channels, web-based recruitment platforms, a clear Careers page, and role descriptions that explain training, progression, and expectations.

What is the difference between a talent pool and a talent pipeline?

A talent pool includes all potential candidates.

A talent pipeline focuses on candidates who match your role requirements and who you may be able to contact when future vacancies open.

How can businesses retain young employees after hiring them?

Businesses can retain young employees by offering clear progression, practical training, job rotation where appropriate, and mentoring or buddy support during the first months of employment.

Competitive employee benefits can also help with retention.

What age range does “youth” refer to in South African employment statistics?

Stats SA generally reports youth labour market statistics for people aged 15 to 34.

Some employment schemes may use different eligibility ranges, so check the criteria for the specific scheme.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in October 2023 and has been updated for relevance.

Browse more topics from this article

• Compliance
• employing people for the first time