Youth job crisis: Skills, not degrees, hold the key

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In Uganda, five in every 10 youth aged 18-30 are not in employment, education, or training according to data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

In neighbouring Kenya, World Bank statistics put the unemployment rate at 5.4% to 5.6% (2024), with youth aged 15–34 most affected.

Even for advanced countries like the U.S., 2024 data from the International Labour Organisation puts the unemployment rate at 4.106%. This means about 4 out of every 100 people in the U.S were unable to find a job in 2024.

These figures give a picture that all over the world, young people are finding it hard to get white-collar jobs, which is why experts emphasise job creation, rather than job seeking.

To stand a better chance of landing jobs, Ken Stober, the CEO of Simplifi Networks in  Bugolobi, advises young people to develop marketable skills. He explains further: “To be marketable is to understand job trends. These include good communication, quick decision making, innovations, computer savviness, and adaptability.”

Ken Stober , founder of Simplifi NetWorks, Bugolobi

Since Information Technologies are here to stay, Stober urges young people to also acquire skills in various areas such as computer programming, software Engineering, data Science, cybersecurity, network administration, multimedia technology and digital Marketing.

Government programmes like Emyooga and the Parish Development model have come with funding opportunities for Ugandans to start their own businesses.

Beneficiary projects include animal rearing, aquaculture, cake baking business, tailoring, among others.

Networking and taking on volunteering work, stober says, are also ways young people can position themselves to get employment.

“They can meet new people at churches, mosques, conferences, and let them know what skills they have. Offering free services puts them in a good light as they wait for opportunities.”

Kampala-based lawyer Sonya Namuli says after completing her diploma at Law Development Centre, she interned at a law firm, performed exceptionally well, and luckily, she was retained.

She tips: “But it all came down to me having a good attitude and excelling in my education.”

The role of vocational skills

Harold Ogwang, a senior four dropout, spent four years at home doing nothing. Hope came in 2025, when after acquiring a certificate in videography and photography, he was able to find employment.

This is why Silver Dronyi of Datamine Technical Business College in Kampala advises young people to go for vocational training, so they can acquire skills that will help them create jobs.

“Fields such as carpentry and wood joinery, fashion and design, hair dressing, catering, and mechanical engineering are some of the skills one can choose from.”

Dronyi argues that even as a person looks for a dream white-collar job, such hands-on skills ensure they are earning a living.

Gloria Irunga, an entrepreneur in Kampala, admits that starting a business is tough. However, she encourages young people to be resilient.

“Start with a product you can make. If you produce it and it is rejected, then you learn from it and do better.”

Irunga advises those starting out in business to learn from business owners so they can avoid the same mistakes they made.

Juliet Namujju, founder of Kimuli Collections in Wakiso district, narrates how perseverance got her rooted in business. “When a friend of mine from Germany made an order for 200 makeup bags from local recycled raw materials, I was over thrilled.”

Unfortunately, after making them, only one bag of those was taken because they were of poor quality.

“I was heartbroken since I had borrowed money to get that inventory,” she says. “But I learned from my mistakes, and the next time I got an order, I ensured my orders were top quality. They included bags, jewellery, and clothes. They were shipped abroad.”

Today, Namujju employs over 10 people in her company.