Global youth unemployment on the rise - report

By Francis Kagolo

The world has recorded the highest unprecedented increase in youth unemployment in the past three years, the latest UN report has disclosed.

Although youth unemployment rate has always exceeded that of other age groups, the report says it climaxed in 2009 when 75.8 million young people remained unemployed.

Released on Tuesday, the report shows that the global youth unemployment rate was 12.6% in 2010, dramatically overshadowing that of adults which stood at 4.8%.

 It attributes the problem mainly to the economic downturn that hit the developed world in 2009 and to the poor education systems in most developing countries like Uganda which do not offer students practical skills.

“With less experience and fewer skills than many adults, young people often encounter particular difficulty accessing work,” states the UN world youth report 2012. “During economic downturns, young people are often the “last in” and the “first out” — last to be hired, first to be dismissed.”

The report is a product of an e-discussion with the youth and representatives of youth-led organisations on the transition from schools and training institutions into the world of work.

The online consultation took place from October 11, to November 7, 2011and over 300 youth participated in the dicussions conducted by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

In Africa, Uganda inclusive, respondents mentioned that corruption and preferential family and political connections pose a disadvantage to most youth, as only those people who are well placed in society appear to have access to decent jobs.

The findings are in line with the local statistics where an estimated 83% of the youth are unemployed, as per the African Development Indicators 2008/2009.

The World Bank in its 2008 report said Uganda had the highest youth unemployment rate and the youngest population in the world. It warned that unless Uganda scales up her efforts to create jobs, the youth would be more involved in crime and armed conflicts.

According to the UN report, young people who are able to find a job must accept “an extremely low salary. Some employers are using this as an opportunity to exploit youth.”

No wonder, the report estimates about 152 million young workers live in households that are below the poverty line (US$1.25per day) comprising 24% of the total working poor.

There are also gender disparities. Globally, in 2010, 56.3% of young males participated in the labour force, against 40.8 per cent of young females.

The global unemployment rate for young females was 12.9%, compared with 12.5% for young males.

According to the report, high rates of unemployment “discourage youth from getting married because they won’t have enough means to build a family.”

The majority of respondents agreed there is a need to improve the quality of education by tailoring curricula more effectively to the labour market, including through the development of practical skills.

They also called for more funding towards enhancing vocational training.