Empowering Youth to Overcome Health Workforce Shortages: USAID youth power action South health workforce assessment brief.

The youth bulge in sub-Saharan Africa offers promise for a long-term ‘demographic dividend.’ Yet in the near term, the youth bulge is a major driver of several complex, interrelated development challenges. This study focuses on two interrelated challenges that are particularly urgent in sub-Saharan Africa. The first is the massive and growing employment crisis, as a steadily increasing population of youth entering the labor force each year far exceeds the number of jobs created, especially in the formal economy. The second key challenge is the threat of a rollback in controlling the HIV epidemic, driven by the swelling population of adolescents and young adults who have a disproportionately higher risk of HIV acquisition. 

The Youth Power Action South Africa Health Workforce Assessment explored the opportunities and challenges for youth employment in health and social services. The assessment included a review of youth workforce programs that provide vocational training, career guidance, job placement, and related services. Drawing from key informant interviews, a literature review, and labor market data, the analysis then maps potential opportunities for expanding youth employment in health and social services. Fieldwork included in-depth interviews with over 25 diverse stakeholders and six focus groups with youth, led by a four person, mixed international/local team, which visited Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town and surrounding townships and rural areas.

 Link for the full South Africa Health assessment

 https://www.youthpower.org/resources/empowering-youth-overcome-health-workforce-shortagess