The report shows that Africa has the world’s youngest population and one of the highest youth unemployment rates globally, with approximately 20% of young people aged 15-24 being unemployed. According to Ilostat, nearly 13 million young people are unemployed, with 60 million+ people working in indecent conditions.
This global problem symbolizes that young people across Africa are not effectively maximizing their potential. Consequently, this issue causes many young Africans to migrate to countries across other continents in search of greener pastures, which significantly threatens the growth of African countries.
Causes
The three significant reasons for the high unemployment rate in Africa are
1. Population growth
Africa has a rapidly growing population, which causes a higher number of job seekers than the number of available jobs.
2. Skills Mismatch
Primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in most African countries fail to rightly and fully equip students with the necessary skills needed for today’s workforce, hugely contributing to a mismatch between skills acquired and job demands, leading to inefficiencies in labour markets. Graduates often lack the practical and technical skills needed by employers.
3. Economic Factor
Economy challenges such as price fluctuations can adversely affect the employment rate in Africa.
Solutions
Some comprehensive approaches to tackle this include-
- Skills Alignment– incorporating curricula that teach the students relevant skills for today’s job market is one of the most critical approaches to take. Encourage partnerships with institutions that ensure students are equipped with technical and practical skills either through internships or apprenticeships.
- Leveraging Technology– Providing digital training that prepares youth for the growing digital economy is a crucial implementation strategy to overcome the unemployment rate in Africa.
The two approaches mentioned above are significant ways to tackle the unemployment rate in this growing digital economy. However, it’s advisable that these strategies be employed in a coordinated and sustained manner to achieve better outcomes.
Use the link below to get more insight about employability.