With a young and rapidly growing population, Africa needs to offer more education and work, adapted to local needs, invest in computerisation and combat economic precariousness. There is a long way to go.
Demographic trends show that Africa’s population of 1.4 billion is expected to grow to 2.5 billion by 2050, which will represent around a quarter of the world’s population. With 60 per cent of Africans under the age of 25, the continent is set to become the youngest in the world. The information is contained in a report released in 2024 by the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), created in 1920 and based in Geneva, Switzerland. The IOE outlines a mixed picture for Africa: on the one hand, a population projection that brings with it the challenge of creating millions of new jobs, and on the other, the opportunity to transform youthful energy into an asset for economic and social development. Let’s break it down.
The challenges of youth employment
It’s not exactly news that young Africans face numerous difficulties in securing decent employment. The research carried out by the OIE highlights that this is mainly due to factors including the lack of connection between the skills taught in academic training institutions and those required by the labour market. Another significant barrier is the limited access to finance for young entrepreneurs. These obstacles mean that around 90 per cent of young Africans have precarious jobs, ‘a scenario that offers little security or stability’, notes the OIE.
What’s more, poor coordination between policies and programmes to promote employment is also an obstacle, with many initiatives misaligned with local needs and implemented inefficiently. These factors aggravate the vulnerability of young people. ‘The analysis revealed significant deficiencies in national policies. Among the main problems identified are the lack of programmes focused on youth employment, especially in rural areas, and the lack of strict conditions for access to grants and loans. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge about existing interventions and a lack of effective implementation mechanisms, exacerbating the challenges faced by young people in the labour market,’ the organisation stresses.
In sub-Saharan Africa, a third of employees are classified as extremely poor workers, well above the global average of 6.9 per cent
These findings are the result of research carried out in ten countries representing each of Africa’s five regions: Lesotho and South Africa (Southern Africa), Uganda and Kenya (Eastern Africa), the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon (Central Africa), Senegal and Nigeria (Western Africa) and Morocco and Egypt (Northern Africa).
Prospects for the future
Despite the challenges, the future of labour in Africa presents promising prospects,’ says the OIE. Employers argue that the expansion and modernisation of the agricultural sector has the potential to generate jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, while the digitalisation of the economy paves the way for economic inclusion and innovation.
But the IOE recommends investing in technical and vocational education as an ‘essential step in preparing young people for careers of the future, aligning skills with market demand and promoting a sustainable transition to more structured forms of employment.’
In addition, ‘promoting the digitalisation of economic and administrative services can expand opportunities for young entrepreneurs, while effective partnerships between governments, the private sector and international organisations can improve the coordination and implementation of public policies,’ he concludes.
Highly underpaid labour
The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) World Employment and Social Outlook 2024 points to another problem that deserves attention. Precariousness and low pay are worrying: 148 million African workers live on less than 2.15 dollars a day and this is getting worse.
In sub-Saharan Africa, a third of employees are classified as extremely poor workers, well above the global average of 6.9 per cent. Meanwhile, regions such as Europe and North America have registered no workers in this category. Globally, the number of extremely poor workers rose by around one million in 2023 and the increase occurred mainly in Africa.
Inequality in the labour market is also reflected in the informal sector, which accounts for 86.5% of African workers, compared to a global average of 58%.
The ILO report also highlights the impact on young people: around 63 million Africans (equivalent to almost twice the population of Mozambique) aged between 14 and 24 have no job, education or training, representing a fifth of the continent’s youth.
Text: Celso Chambisso – Photo: D.R.
