EDITORIAL: Unemployment time bomb has exploded
It has become commonplace to read about the high levels of unemployment in our country. We see most young people unemployed, idle and leading miserable lives in our communities.
A huge proportion of young Namibians can simply not find employment or earn a living, given the current economic conditions and the lack of a substantive plan to create sustainable jobs. On top of that, thousands of young people are joining the job market every day after dropping out of school, not forgetting that our challenged education system can only absorb a few.
The joblessness crisis is prevalent in all 121 constituencies and 14 regions of our republic. It is safe to say that it is no longer a ticking bomb waiting to explode - it has already exploded. Although government can only complement the efforts of the private sector to create jobs by growing the economy, and provide a conducive environment for this to happen, we are perturbed by the fact that there is no single announcement of an employment stimulation package by the powers that be.
Government should hang its head in shame, including over the fact that we are not encouraging investor confidence in order to attract funds that will lead to mass job creation. It is further disturbing that there seems to be no sense of panic when it comes to the unfolding crisis around jobs, as well as retrenchments that have hit a multitude of sectors since Covid-19.
A huge proportion of young Namibians can simply not find employment or earn a living, given the current economic conditions and the lack of a substantive plan to create sustainable jobs. On top of that, thousands of young people are joining the job market every day after dropping out of school, not forgetting that our challenged education system can only absorb a few.
The joblessness crisis is prevalent in all 121 constituencies and 14 regions of our republic. It is safe to say that it is no longer a ticking bomb waiting to explode - it has already exploded. Although government can only complement the efforts of the private sector to create jobs by growing the economy, and provide a conducive environment for this to happen, we are perturbed by the fact that there is no single announcement of an employment stimulation package by the powers that be.
Government should hang its head in shame, including over the fact that we are not encouraging investor confidence in order to attract funds that will lead to mass job creation. It is further disturbing that there seems to be no sense of panic when it comes to the unfolding crisis around jobs, as well as retrenchments that have hit a multitude of sectors since Covid-19.
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Namibian Sun
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