PRESS RELEASE: RED CARD CAMPAIGN ON YOUTH JOBS

BY

SUNDAY CHANDA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION
…Pioneers of the Red Card Campaign on Youth Jobs

OBSERVING LABOUR DAY IN THE MIDST OF JOBLESSNESS

The Red Card Campaign on Youth Jobs, an initiative of the Open Society Foundation notes that Government’s blame on lack of unemployment statistics rather than doing something about the unemployment problem just goes to show how out of touch and complacent they are. The remarks by Finance and National Planning Deputy Minister Miles Sampa’s statement on the need for the Central Statistical Office to provide monthly employment statistics was window dressing and an empty political statement. As Zambian workers and the nation observe Labour Day on 1st May 2012, there is nothing for the Zambian worker to celebrate about. Youths constitute the largest percentage of dormant labour in Zambia and Government is not presenting a marshal plan to allow them to make an immediate impact in the labour market. This Government must prove to the nation’s youth that it is doing everything it can at every level to help young people into meaningful and sustainable work.

The Zambian economy desperately needs more jobs and decent pay rises, not the mockery given to University of Zambia lecturers. What Hon. Sampa must be telling Zambians is when they as Government will reveal the true scale of unemployment on its watch. We are also interested in the Hon. Deputy Minister issuing a comprehensive statement on the additional support Government will channel to CSO so they can deliver because they cannot capture this data in the absence of essential tools. We further argue that the statistics the deputy minister spoke about should be announced in Parliament by the Minister of Finance and National Planning. The unemployment/employment/underemployment data should be captured and presented sector by sector, as well as segmenting age groups and sex.

Government needs to add significance to the unemployment crisis in Zambia by presenting an employment bill to Parliament. Government must not be a bully on the question of youth unemployment because it is a break or make issue in the nation building towards 2016.Government needs to show in evident ways that it is serious about dealing with unemployment, especially among the youth of Zambia. Government must realize that it is not doing enough to address youth jobs and guaranteeing economic freedom for the younger generation.

Government has proved wasteful and failing to prioritize allocation of resources. A case in point was the fuel donation to Malawi which Government has remained mute about. While we appreciate that countries must and should stand next to each other in times of mourning, the Zambian government was overzealous in making that exaggerated donation when the country does not have the kind of capacity to show off.

The Youth Jobs Fund can focus on emerging and existing entrepreneurs within the youth bracket and support them with loans. This is because the K11 billion kwacha allocation at the Ministry of Youth cannot support any tangible economic freedom within the youth sector. This is not about the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission. Government owes the youth and payback time starts now.

The Red Card Campaign on Youth Jobs will commission a study on youth unemployment in Zambia and host a Regional Youth Employment Festival in Lusaka, Zambia between October and November 2012. This will bring students, youths drawn from a wider section, development, political activists and entrepreneurs from the Region.

This will showcase best practices around advocacy, lobbying and holding Governments accountable. The main outcome will be a communiqué on Youth Unemployment to Governments in the Region and the launch of a Regional Youth Coalition on Youth Jobs whose mandate will be announced at a later stage.

 

 

 

 

 

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