Caroline Schachter
Ms. Bennett
World Lit Honors 2nd Period
15 March 2016
Youth Unemployment
“For 30 years, 45 percent of most African countries' population has been below age 15. So, a constantly rising number entering the labor force ages is one of Africa's biggest challenges.” Currently in Africa, almost one in three people (about 297 million), are between the ages of 10 and 24. This means that more than half of the population is from the most current generation. The youth generation is increasingly becoming more skilled, and are also more likely than other age groups to move from rural to urban areas. This means that jobs in Africa are becoming more and more in demand. Youth unemployment is not only happening in Africa. In fact, it is a global issue that is causing thousands of people to live in poverty, but what is causing it?
Although the new generation is becoming better educated than older ones, this is not always a beneficial to the economy. “Estimates show that the proportion of 20-to-24-year-olds who complete secondary education will increase from 42 percent to 59 percent over the next 20 years” (reducing). Consequently, because of this increase in education in the workforce, the potential for economic growth and development in overwhelming, and many countries are not taking this opportunity for granted. The increasing amount of educated youth individuals entering the workforce is creating more potential for better, skill required jobs, that simply do not exist. This problem does not only affect the unemployment rate, but also, “causes young people to settle for less-than-ideal employment, such as jobs that are low-paying, temporary, or unsafe, or ones for which they are overqualified” (Growing).
Sub-Saharan Africa has the one of the fastest population growths projected within 40 years, and the highest youth population in the world. Because of this rapid population growth, there is a surplus of qualified, skilled, workers in Africa. “Estimates show that the proportion of 20-to-24-year-olds who complete secondary education will increase from 42 percent to 59 percent over the next 20 years” (Reducing). This means that the issue of not having enough jobs for the current youth generation will continue to be a problem because the population is still rapidly growing, and will only continue to get larger.
Africa is one of the largest continents in the world, and compared to many other countries, the unemployment rate is not unusually high, but because of it’s immense size, there are still millions of people unemployed. A majority of these people are part of the youth generation, one of the most important parts of our society. Unemployment isn’t the only issue, but also underemployment. It is time for Africa to step up to its rapidly growing population of skilled, trained, future workers.
Works Cited:
"Growing Their Own Jobs? Agriculture, Unemployment and the Threat of a 'Lost Generation' of Rural Africans [guest column]." Africa News Service 23 Nov. 2012. Global Issues In Context. Web. 4 Mar.
"Reducing Youth Unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa." Reducing Youth Unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
I really liked how you used statistics to your advantage, and I learned a lot about how unemployment could affect the next generation's chances to improve their lives. Are there any programs going on now to help increase employment?
ReplyDeleteI liked how you were able to make a connection with your audience by saying that unemployment is not only a problem in South Africa, but worldwide as well. After reading your article, I learned a lot about the correlation between quality of life and employment rate, and I was wondering if you knew if the South African government is doing anything to mitigate the issue.
ReplyDelete