Bleak job prospects for graduates
Bleak job prospects for graduates

Bleak job prospects for graduates

Jana-Mari Smith
For the thousands of school leavers and university graduates pouring onto Namibia's increasingly cramped job market next year, the prospects of landing a job are bleaker than ever.

University of Namibia (Unam) economics lecturer Dr Omu Kakujaha-Matundu was blunt when he described the employment prospects facing new graduates and school leavers next year.

“With such high youth unemployment caused by lack of requisite skills and lack of job opportunities in the economy, it becomes mind-boggling as to where the 2017 class is going to get jobs in 2018. Looking at the rate at which the formal sector is shedding jobs, one is left with the informal sector and agriculture.”

The disappointment will deepen when young jobseekers discover the harsh reality of the job market, Kakujaha-Matundu warned.

“The problem that the new graduates are facing is the perception that upon finishing their high school or university training, they will find high-paying jobs in government or the formal sector. Under the current economic situation their search is going to be long and painful.”

Danny Meyer of SMEs Compete said some entry-level jobs in the public and private sectors would open up because of retirement or promotions, but at a lower level than before.

“Unfortunately, many youngsters with expectations of securing employment will be disappointed. The economy is just not expanding or growing at a rate to absorb all of them.”





Unam confirmed that 4 113 students completed their bachelor's degrees this year, in addition to 2 293 who attained diplomas.

The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) said just over 2 500 students graduated this year and thousands more with grade 10 and grade 12 certificates would be looking for jobs.

Simonis Storm economists agreed with these assessments, saying “the prospects are very minimal, especially considering the current economic environment”.

The group told Namibian Sun that job cuts in industries such as construction, engineering, architecture, retail and fishing could worsen next year.

“Our provisional annual economic outlook survey results indicate that most companies expect their employment base to remain unchanged, if some people are not laid off.”

The mining industry could also face further layoffs, Simonis Storm warned.



Red flags

In line with the job scarcity, Simonis Storm and others warned of potential ripple effects.

“An increase in youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb. History has it on record that an increase in youth unemployment rates increases social unrest.”

Moreover, studies show that high rates of unemployment among the youth are associated with increases in drug and alcohol use as well as higher levels of crime among young people.

Kakujaha-Matundu agreed that joblessness can be devastating, on an individual and societal basis, increasing poverty, illiteracy, and promoting tiny elites amid a “sea of poverty”.

“Remember that the Arab Spring was spurred by high youth unemployment. Namibia is facing the same situation.”

In line with this, a conference held in February in Walvis Bay, the 41st annual conference of East, Central and Southern Africa Employers' Organisations, concluded with the Walvis Bay Declaration, which recognised the potentially devastating impact of youth unemployment on the sub-region and the pressing need to tackle this through a number of proposed strategies.

The Jobs for Youth in Africa report, issued by the African Development Bank group, estimated that the majority of young Africans “are unemployed, discouraged or only vulnerably employed. Youth face roughly double the unemployment rate of adults, with significant variation across African countries.”

The Walvis Bay Declaration recognises that joblessness among the youth has reached “devastating proportions” and that a number of interventions including on-the-job training programmes, skills development, innovative education plans and other strategies need to be urgently implemented.

The Namibia Labour Force Survey of 2016 estimated that unemployment among those between 15 and 34 years old stood at 43.3%, compared to an overall unemployment rate of 34%.



Look on the bright side

Eloise du Plessis, head of research at PSG Namibia, emphasised that quality training remained crucial to being able to secure a job.

“We know from the Global Competitiveness Index that an inadequately educated workforce is the second biggest problematic factor for doing business in Namibia. So, this would suggest that if you are properly trained in the right sector, there will exist many opportunities for employment.”

Namibia performed poorly when it was ranked 111th on the “Higher education and training pillar, she said.

“This could indicate that the problem is rather with how we train our graduates, the quality of our education, and not the job market itself.”

She added that surveys showed that “we need to integrate training and private sector jobs better”.

Simonis Storm also said public- and private-sector collaboration to stimulate economic growth was essential, among several other proven job-creation strategies.

Meyer of SMEs Compete believed that individual characteristics and attitudes also play a role.

Young job seekers should “discard any entitlement notion. Nobody owes you a job or a living. Be humble. Be upright in character and impeccable in manners.”

He added that it was important to remember that the modern world changes fast, so it is important to “make learning a daily habit and thereby cultivate and gain new skills.”

Most importantly, Meyer said looking for a job can be tough and job seekers should never give up.

“The world of grown-ups is tough and competitive, but determination and perseverance always prevail in the end.”

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-29

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Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.79 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.87 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 133.84 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.88 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.79 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.87 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 133.84 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.88 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53%