Transport costs are making South Africa’s job hunt even harder, with many young applicants unable to afford the trip to an interview.

According to The Citizen, Jobjack’s 2026 Jobseekers Report found that 36% of candidates who missed interviews said transport costs were the reason they could not attend.

The report analysed 4.9 million job applications submitted by 867,700 users between July 2025 and July 2026. The Citizen reported that only 6,566 of those applications resulted in appointments.

Job Hunting Comes at a Cost

According to The Citizen, 48% of more than 5,000 respondents surveyed by Jobjack had been looking for work for longer than a year.

Another 28% said they had to walk to areas where potential employers were based.

Jobjack also found that jobseekers could spend around R500 on transport and printing while submitting CVs.

Jobjack co-founder and CEO Heine Bellingan told The Citizen that transport costs, data-heavy application systems, printing requirements and job scams were among the barriers making recruitment harder.

Transport Costs Continue After Hiring

The report found that successful applicants could spend up to 30% of their earnings on transport once they secured work.

According to The Citizen, Jobjack also recorded a 40% self-reported annual churn rate among frontline workers, with transport among the pressures affecting retention.

The report found that 82% of jobseekers listed growth opportunities as a key consideration when accepting a job. Location was cited by 38%, while salary was cited by 37%.

Youth Capital Calls for More Support

Youth Capital project lead Buhlebethu Magwaza told The Citizen that young people could spend as much as R1,400 a month looking for work.

She called for subsidised transport, employment hubs and free printing and application services to help reduce the cost of job hunting.

The Citizen also reported that Jobjack found applicants with previous work experience were 11 times more likely to be hired.

Magwaza said public employment programmes could help young people gain paid experience, practical skills and references, while stronger partnerships between government, employers and training institutions could create clearer pathways into work.