New report focuses on youth jobs

New report focuses on youth jobsTwo out of every three adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) surveyed in five districts in Namibia are unemployed, according to a new study conducted in November last year.About 41% of AGYW surveyed and interviewed in Windhoek, Katima Mulilo, Onandjoke, Omuthiya and Tsumeb completed grade 12, while nearly 4.8% and 5.1% respectively had vocational training or went to university.The data is contained in the Labour Market Assessment (LMA), commissioned by Project Hope Namibia (PHN) and released in Windhoek yesterday. PHN is employing an economic strengthening approach for AGYWs enrolled in the Dreams project to acquire skills and productive livelihoods. Dreams stands for determined, resilient, empowered, Aids-free, mentored and safe, and enjoys the support of the US President Emergency Fund for Aids Relief (Pepfar), as well as the United States Agency For international Development (USAid).In total, the LMA surveyed 274 participants, most of them aged between 18 to 24 years.The biggest barriers to finding work, starting a business or studying cited by the AGYW were a lack of funds (78%), a lack of skills or qualifications (39%), lack of transport (38%) and lack of accommodation (32%).Only 10% said they had access to funds to study, while 14% had money to start a business.About 47% claim to have good English language skills, while 45% described theirs as satisfactory. Some 42% had good numeracy skills, while 40% said theirs were satisfactory.PREFERRED INDUSTRIESThe LMA asked AGYW what industries they would prefer to work in. In Windhoek and Omuthiya, a small business, hospitality and tourism, as well as the education sector were preferred.The other three districts preferred the same industries, but also added agriculture and food production.The goal of the LMA is to understand the economic opportunities in Namibia that have the potential to be accessible to AGYW. The report also shows indications of growth and thus potential for wage employment or self-employment growth.The LMA identifies market drivers. In Windhoek, job opportunities exist in tourism and hospitality, handicrafts, construction, manufacturing, renewals, waste, early childhood development (ECD), beauty and frail care.In Omuthiya and Onandjokwe, the opportunities are in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), tourism and hospitality, retail, agriculture, ECD, beauty and frail care.Opportunities present in Tsumeb include construction, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, as well as handicrafts and artisanship.In Katima Mulilo there are investment opportunities in shopping malls and private housing, according to the report. Tourism, agriculture and export processing zone (EPZ) offer latent opportunities, it states. In addition, fish processing is an employment source and has potential, the LMA says.‘COMPLEX AND DYNAMIC’The minister of sport, youth and national service, Agnes Tjongarero, says in her foreword in the report the LMA “provides guidance to what is a complex and dynamic environment, involving various stakeholders making numerous decisions at different times”.The report “has gathered intelligence on current and future skills needs for education and training, employment, and investment opportunities to support better matching of training and jobs”, Tjongarero says.

New report focuses on youth jobs

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Republikein 2025-04-02

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