By Martin Mbewe
Unemployment is one of the issues fueling poverty amongst young people in Malawi, who according to the data from the National Statistical Office are the majority of the country’s population.
The Corporate Finance Institute defines unemployment as “a term referring to individuals who are employable and actively seeking a job but are unable to find one.”
Both educated and uneducated youth have been affected by this issue.
According to a report by Trading Economics Global Macro Models, the unemployment rate in Malawi is expected to reach 7.60 percent by the end of 2023.
This is a worrisome trend for a country that is developing and aiming to be self-sufficient by 2063.
Malawi’s current job market only employs a small percentage of the country’s youth. This issue is more difficult for early school dropouts, particularly those living in rural and peri-urban areas.
When compared to adults and youth from urban areas, youth from these two areas are disproportionately affected by labor-market challenges.
A Tingathe organization study on youth in Malawi’s peri-urban zones highlighted the following as barriers to finding gainful employment or creating self-employment: lack of access to information, access to education, lack of inputs, lack of qualifications, lack of skills, access to markets, business management knowledge, and access to startup capital, as well as being uninformed about the job market.
Unemployed individuals are at a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues than those who are employed.
Research by the Copenhagen Consensus shows that people who have experienced longer periods of unemployment have poorer health than those who have been steadily employed.
There is a need for us to find solutions to this problem if we want to achieve Goal Number One of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which aims to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Focusing on Technical, Vocational, and Skills Training for the youth can reduce this problem because TVET programs often encourage entrepreneurship by providing young people with practical skills they can use to start their own businesses.
This can ultimately lead to job creation, economic growth, and a reduction in unemployment. This also aligns well with Goal Number Eight of the 2030 Agenda, which aims to achieve decent work and economic growth.
Organizations such as Tingathe; Development Aid from People to People (DAPP); the Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Vocational Education and Training (TEVET); Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute.
There is hope in advocating for and training young people in various vocational programs to empower them economically and reduce unemployment.
In Malawi, a lot of young people do not consider vocational training as a viable career option because most of them have negative perceptions of it.
Some think that vocational training should be pursued by students who got poor grades; others think that TVET graduates are less preferred by employers compared to university graduates; and there are those who consider TVET as a dead end, which in my view is not true.
For a long time, vocational education has been a compass of transformation, taking young people out of poverty and unemployment.
Grace Banda, a peri-urban youth and a beneficiary of vocational education from the Tingathe organization in Lilongwe, is a shining testament to the transformative power of vocational education and its potential to reduce unemployment amongst young people in Malawi.
She says, “Vocational education has guided me out of the shadows of poverty and unemployment. Through hands-on learning and industry-relevant skills, I was empowered to forge a new path.”
Grace’s dedication to change helped her open a workshop that has become a beacon of self-reliance for her family and relatives.
Her workshop stands out as a symbol of empowerment as she skillfully navigates her business, generating income that is not only supporting her own aspirations but also uplifting those around her.
Poverty and unemployment amongst the youth in Malawi can be reduced if we develop and implement policies that prioritize vocational education and allocate sufficient funding to enhance the quality of training programs, infrastructure, and teaching materials; implementing effective career guidance and counseling services in schools to help students understand the potential of vocational education; and conducting public awareness campaigns that highlight success stories of vocational education graduates who have achieved entrepreneurial success.
This can help change societal perceptions about vocational education and inspire more youth to consider this path.
The writer is a Development Communications Specialist based in Lilongwe, Malawi
