Abstract Unemployment figures from 2017 to 2019 show that South African youth are the most economically vulnerable group in the country. The data shows that 63% of youth between the ages of 15 and 34 years and 34% of youth aged 2534 years are unemployed. Education increases the prospect of employment, as unemployment among graduates is lower than among those with lesser educational qualifications. Irrespectively, unemployment amongst graduates is still a concern in South Africa. There are varieties of socio-economic and political factors that create such high unemployment trends among the youth. The ability to search and apply for employment is increasingly dependent on digital communication technologies (DCTs). The high rate of digital inequality accompanied by limited access to the internet in the country inspires a critical question: How does digital inequality affect youth unemployment? This article reports on a study that situated digital technology as cultural capital, and thus investigated how the problem of access to DCTs impacts the youth’s ability to search and apply for employment. Through in-depth interactions with unemployed graduates, the study uncovered that limited access to the internet for employment-seeking purposes remains a challenge, which results in frustration and discouragement among job-seeking youth.

中文翻译：

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数字不平等和青年失业

摘要 2017 年至 2019 年的失业数据显示，南非青年是该国经济上最弱势的群体。数据显示，15-34 岁青年有 63% 失业，2534 岁青年有 34% 失业。教育增加了就业前景，因为毕业生的失业率低于教育程度较低的人。无论如何，南非的毕业生失业问题仍然令人担忧。造成青年失业率如此之高的社会经济和政治因素多种多样。寻找和申请工作的能力越来越依赖于数字通信技术 (DCT)。数字不平等的高比率以及该国对互联网的访问受限引发了一个关键问题：数字不平等如何影响青年失业？本文报告了一项将数字技术定位为文化资本的研究，从而调查了获得 DCT 的问题如何影响青年寻找和申请工作的能力。通过与失业毕业生的深入互动，该研究发现，以求职为目的的互联网访问受限仍然是一个挑战，这导致求职青年感到沮丧和气馁。