BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
Youth unemployment is one of the pressing social problems that challenge most countries. Obviously, the ability to engage youth in productive activities has both social and economic consequences for an economy.
Mostly, in developing countries, youth face not only the challenge of obtaining productive employment, but also obtaining safe and acceptable work.
Like other countries across the globe, youth unemployment is also one of the challenges that Ethiopia faces.
As Alemayehu Geda, Economic Lecturer at Addis Ababa University noted at his research entitled “The Challenge of unemployment and Youth Unemployment amidst Fast Economic Growth in Ethiopia” like most countries in the continent, Ethiopian demographics is characterized by significant number of youths, those below the age of 30, being 72 percent of the population.
Rural unemployment is just 5.2 percent in 2021 whiles the urban unemployment rate is18 percent in 2021. Looking at its gender dimension, the female unemployment in 2021 is much worst at 25 percent, compared to male which was below half this level at 11percent. Thus, notwithstanding the significant disguised unemployment/under-employment in rural areas, which is estimated at 45 percent unemployment is primarily an urban phenomenon in Ethiopia.
The youth unemployment is also found to be higher than the general unemployment. Using the Ethiopian official definition of youth with age group 15-29, the national “reduced definition” based youth unemployment in 2021 was found to be 14 percent.
To this end the country is working aggressively by devising various youth-friendly policies and strategies. As a result, though the matter still remains challenging, some important strides are gained. Several jobs have been created and thousands of youths have become employed. Likewise, the spirit of self-employment has grown up among the youths and many people can set up their own business and have become the owner of a business; generate their own income, and hire employees; rather than for an employer.
Of late Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assured in his remark on employment and efforts to create informed youth on job creation. He confirmed that the readiness of Labor and Skills Ministry to address the challenges of the youth that could stem from the process of employment in a more established fashion than ever before.
It was noted that the Ministry, in only 10 months has remarkably structured itself swiftly and actively delivering on its jobs and skills creation tasks through technology uptake.
“Employment is a key priority; hence that is why we established a Ministry to address the challenge of meeting jobs creation as well as nurturing skilled labor and individuals with a service attitude,” the Premier noted.
“Employment is a key priority and hence why we established a Ministry to address the challenge of meeting jobs creation as well as nurturing skilled labor and individuals with a service attitude,” the Premier noted.
The Prime Minister underscored that the experience of the Ministry needs to be further enhanced and fast tracked to meet Ethiopia’s jobs challenge.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 2022
