Historically, the world has always seen high rates of youth unemployment. However, the current persistent global jobs crisis, evidenced by mass retrenchment and the increasing scarcity of stable employment, caused the 2013 report of the Global Employment Trends for Youth to state bluntly: “it is not easy to be young in the labour market today.” A large number of Guyana’s vibrant youth population can relate to this stark reality.
In the absence of a clearly defined job creation strategy aimed at young people under the age of 30, and with a 24% youth unemployment rate in Guyana as estimated by the World Bank (youth, in this case, being defined as employable persons aged 15-24 years), the options open to young people are few to non-existent, and many young people are therefore focused on leaving these shores for the proverbial greener pastures.
Youth unemployment therefore weighs heavily on the local economy. The issue of joblessness among a large block of the productive population also has negative implications for human, social and economic progress. The limited employment and entrepreneurial prospects available to young people constitute evidence that youth employment strategies are being viewed in isolation from macroeconomic and sectoral policies in government planning.
Nevertheless, there is hope, as several initiatives already exist among international agencies that the Government of Guyana can readily tap into. For instance, according to the International Labour Organisation, several countries are moving to expand measures to improve the labour market integration of young people through targeted interventions such as work-experience programmes, job-search assistance and labour market training, among other initiatives.
One year after assuming the helm, the coalition government appears to still be drafting its policies in this regard, but in a country where young people are negatively impacted by crime, abuse, gang-related violence and intimidation, the administration does not have the benefit of time.
The administration can, for example, disseminate in more detail, reports of its Sustainable Livelihood Development or SLED initiative which emphasises the potential of entrepreneurship as a pathway to decent work. So far, by way of the Government Information Agency (GINA), we learnt that SLED, in partnership with NDCs and NGOs, has provided support to the Guyana Swine Producers Association and the Women for Change of Hopetown following its initiation some time in 2015.
Through the Ministry of Communities, the project is focusing on development impact with its support of sustainable economic projects in local communities. Based on what has been released so far, the SLED initiative is encouraging, considering the impact such a project is likely to have on struggling communities in search of more organised economic government intervention and a solution to the issue of youth unemployment.
When the Caribbean Development Bank released Guyana’s youth unemployment numbers back in 2015, the statistics were comparable to the anecdotal information which was circulating publicly. This persistently high level of redundancy and idleness, which are the contributing factors to young people engaging in social vices and criminal activities, was alluded to by President David Granger when he delivered his “ticking time bomb” comment in 2013.
President Granger’s comment had raised the ire of the previous government, but his observation had zeroed in on the lack of vision, policies and programmes during their stewardship of this country and their approach to the nation’s youths. There was, indeed, the President’s Youth Award, a component of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, but very little else, and not anything substantial, could be highlighted with respect to its success in reducing youth unemployment. Even more telling was the continuing exodus of this nation’s skilled graduates during the stewardship of the past administration.
The current government’s own record on youth engagement and empowerment will come under intense scrutiny when the coalition returns to the electorate in another few years, but SLED holds tremendous potential for both government and the private sector, with support from the NGO community, to pull together and improve the entrepreneurial environment for young people locally.
The SLED framework is built on access to financing, mentorship support and business development, critical areas which are needed to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture among our young people. It is important that the opportunities, services and support flowing from SLED reflect inclusivity and are open to both rural and urban youths.
One of the stronger components of the initiative is the engagement of at-risk youth. Through its support of the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE) ‘Be Your Own Boss’ programme, SLED has assisted 88 youths to start their own businesses. It is worth noting that a self-confessed former gang member, Akeem Williams, started a honey business with SLED’s help.
Williams’ story and the others profiled by GINA, are examples of how young people with the right support can learn how to identify their needs and solve their own problems. In the process, their actions and energies are directed to economic activity in their communities rather than conflict and crime.
The current administration has to buckle down and urgently hammer out a cogent, comprehensive job creation and youth development strategy that does not depend too heavily on foreign direct investment, but that nurtures and promotes the often latent (and then unregulated) entrepreneurial culture that is key to job creation in society.
Dissemination of this strategy utilising all available media will also ensure its optimization throughout the country, and this will go a long way to halting the social decline spreading throughout our society.
