2026 Public Economics Conference

Youth unemployment presents one of the most pressing challenges of our time, creating an important opportunity to strengthen understanding, inform action and advance practical solutions.

The 2026 Public Economics Conference runs from 7 – 9 July 2026 under the theme “Counting the Crisis: Data, Evidence and Solutions for Youth Unemployment in South Africa.”

This event will bring together post-graduate students, policymakers, researchers and practitioners to explore evidence-based and practical solutions to youth unemployment.

The conference will focus on how youth unemployment is measured – what the data tells us, where the gaps are, and how better evidence can support more effective policy responses.

This conference is designed as a focused journey from evidence to policy, helping participants move from diagnosis to practical responses that are better aligned with the realities of the labour market.

Conference Programme

2026 Public Economics Conference Programme

The full three-day agenda for 7-9 July 2026, covering sessions, speakers and the day-by-day schedule.

Download the Programme (PDF)

Programme Outline

Day 1: Diagnosis – Have we correctly understood South Africa’s youth employment crisis?

Setting the scene

Data walkthrough – Three views on measuring employment and informality: surveys, panels and administrative data

Drivers of youth unemployment

The first day establishes a common evidence base by examining how unemployment is measured, what the latest labour market data reveals, and where critical knowledge gaps remain with inputs from key government departments producing South Africa’s labour market data. It then brings this evidence into conversation with lived realities, including unemployment and informality as experienced by young people, households and communities, to build a fuller understanding of the challenge.

Day 2: Policy response – to what extent are current interventions shifting the dial?

Where will the (youth) jobs come from? A demand side view of stimulating youth employment: Growth, Skills and Public Policy

Exploring the research, interventions and programmes aimed at addressing youth unemployment

Writers and commentators: A conversation about youth employment in South Africa

The second day shifts from diagnosis to policy by assessing the economy’s capacity to generate employment in the context of low growth, weak investment and structural constraints. It also considers whether South Africa’s “Active labour market programmes” align to the scale and nature of the challenge, before giving programme leaders an opportunity to present achievements, constraints and evidence of effectiveness.

Day 3: The future of work – How should policy respond to technological change?

Implications of the digital transformation and AI for skills development and lifelong learning

Impact of changing technologies in South Africa

The final day looks ahead to how artificial intelligence, platform work and digital innovation are already reshaping labour markets globally. It concludes by considering how policy can help young South Africans participate in a changing economy while ensuring labour market institutions remain responsive to future, rather than past, employment realities.