Degree or NO degree: Which is more employable in South Africa?

Which is more employable in South Africa: degree or no degree? This is less of a question and more a widely held belief that the former makes you more likely to find a job. However, a revealing new report from Pnet has turned a common assumption on its head.

Get this, South Africans with lower qualifications and no degree are finding jobs faster than those with. The data comes from analysis of 2.8-million records of people who started new jobs between 2022 and 2025, counting roles that lasted at least one year.

DEGREE OR NO DEGREE?

According to PNet, the average job-search times by qualification are affected like so. Graduate roles are more specialised, higher-paying, have fewer vacancies and, therefore, involve longer hiring processes:

• Below matric: 11 months
• N4 and N5: 12 months
• Matric: 13 months
• N6 or diploma: 14 months
• Degree, master’s or doctorate: 16 months

Moreover, the degree or no degree conservation also crosses work sectors. Sales is the quick to hire at 9 months. Specialised finance, architecture and engineering jobs take 16.3 months. Drivers find work in 8.3 months, construction workers in 8.7 months, and electricians in 10.5 months. Therefore, according to the report, the overall average wait time for jobs is about 15 months. Keep that in mind if you’re thinking of quitting your existing job or want to make unemployment fund (UIF) benefits last.

THE BIG NO DEGREE CATCH

However, it sould be noted that Pnet only measures people who have found work. It says nothing about those who did not and continue to search and apply for jobs. Stats SA’s latest figures tell that side of the story: the Q2 2026 Quarterly Labour Force Survey put youth (15 to 34) unemployment at 47.4%, with 5-million young people jobless. Among 15 to 24-year-olds, unemployment is above 60%.

Don’t be fooled by the degree or no degree argument, qualifications still matter enormously for the odds of getting a quality job. What Pnet fails to mention is that graduate unemployment is 12.4%, against 39.2% for people without matric. Lower qualifications may mean a quicker hire, but they don’t necessarily mean a safer and sustainable one …

WHAT GOVERNMENT IS DOING FOR BASIC INCOME SUPPORT

Facing a worsening unemployment crisis, the R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant is funded until 31 March 2027, with a R36.4-billion allocation. Talk is that government wants to replace it with a permanent Basic Income Support (BIS) grant, for working-age people with no income.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) aims to finish the policy and submit it to Cabinet by March 2027. And Treasury has said it will only fund it if SASSA links working-age recipients to skills development and employment programmes. Who knows, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana may even reveal more about it at his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday 21 October 2026.

But what do you think? Do you think the degree or no degree debate has any bearing in South Africa’s unemployment crisis? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …