Rurality and Youth Agency: Survival Strategies for Sustainable Livelihood of Unemployed Youth in South Africa

Amid persistent unemployment and constrained economic activity in rural South Africa, youth agency remains a critical mechanism for survival and the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods, despite challenges posed by the digital divide. This study explored the survival strategies employed by unemployed rural youth to inform the development of contextually relevant rural youth development initiatives. A descriptive phenomenological design was adopted, involving 20 unemployed youth aged 19–24. Data were generated through semi-structured individual interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings reveal that unemployed youth navigate a complex landscape of survival through a combination of hustling, involving informal labour, micro-entrepreneurship, proletarian gambling, and kinship support. These strategies reflect resilience and agency but are simultaneously constrained by structural inequalities, gender norms, and limited economic opportunities. This necessitates a policy shift from deficit-based models to asset-based frameworks that acknowledge and bolster the inherent capabilities and adaptive strategies of rural youth.