BrighterMonday, partners unite to tackle skills mismatch

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BrighterMonday Uganda is working together with government officials, private sector leaders, development partners and young entrepreneurs to tackle skills mismatch in Uganda’s labour market.

The event, themed "Jobs of Tomorrow: Bridging Skills and Opportunities for Youth", held in Kampala, provided a vital platform for stakeholders to validate the findings of a recent jobs forecast study and commit to collaborative action.

The study, commissioned under the Gen Kazi Project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, revealed significant trends and challenges, moving beyond the single term ‘skills mismatch’ to highlight specific findings across three key sectors: agriculture, creatives, and manufacturing.

During the event, stakeholders highlighted five key findings from the study, including the low youth engagement in high-opportunity sectors like agriculture and the creative industries, persistent gender disparities with men dominating job applications, poor workplace cultures that limit growth and retention, a growing reliance on external recruitment firms indicating the need to equip youth with better job-seeking skills, and the exclusion of semi-formal and informal employment opportunities from online job platforms, which limits access to decent work for young people.

These insights were essential for complementing the employer-focused findings and developing comprehensive solutions that address the full scope of challenges facing young people in the labour market.

During the sector-specific breakout sessions, participants validated the study’s findings and discussed practical, evidence-based strategies. Crucially, the discussions also integrated the youth perspective, exploring key issues the study highlighted from the viewpoint of young job seekers.

The conversations addressed a range of challenges, including a disconnect between salaries and role expectations, the reality of entry-level positions, a tendency toward job hopping, a strong preference for urban jobs, a lack of essential soft skills, and the erosion of confidence due to workplace security concerns.

These insights were essential for complementing the employer-focused findings and developing comprehensive solutions that address the full scope of challenges facing young people in the labour market.

The event, which drew 70 participants, concluded with a strong call for strengthened partnerships. These collaborations are expected to lead to the development of evidence-based strategies that will enhance youth employment, improve employer engagement, and promote inclusive and sustainable growth across the sectors.

Under the Gen-Kazi project, BrighterMonday Uganda aims to leverage these insights to specifically strengthen its efforts in formalising semi-formal job postings, fostering a more inclusive and geographically diverse job market, and supporting employers in building supportive work cultures that retain young talent.

BrighterMonday Uganda is Uganda’s leading tech-enabled career development and recruitment platform, connecting qualified job seekers with verified employers.

 BrighterMonday Uganda offers online career development support, training services, and personalised HR solutions for job seekers and employers.

Employers have access to an extensive database of high-quality job seekers. They can quickly test and screen candidates or choose to have an experienced team of HR professionals help them find the right match. Jobseekers have access to the country's largest volume of verified listings, customizable job alerts, and professional profile enhancement services to ensure they stand out in the job market.