Youth Unemployment and how to deal with it

This one is the most problematic issue in our community these days. Whenever I get to these talks I find myself being so emotional. Anyways I have been a member of this group, where vacancies and piece jobs are shared randomly from companies in Swaziland. It pains one to see that everyday the youth is tirelessly searching for jobs yet the unemployment rate is increasing daily on this side. 

Statistics currently show that the rate of youth unemployment stands at 47.37% as  Published by H. Plecher, Oct 13, 2020 on Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/813070/youth-unemployment-rate-in-swaziland/ when the population of the youth stands at 43% of the total population of 1.1 Million people. 

The biggest problem here is that unemployment comes with its own negative effect which greatly affects our youngsters. The most common problems we have been witnessing are the following:

●Drugs and Alcohol Abuse - while staying at my parents house in Mpolonjeni, I was jointly running a Salon and Nail Bar which is situated just at the bus stop. I would wake up in the morning to attend some clients to my disappointment, I would find guys already at the shop basking the sun and puffing weed. Some would stay there all day which mean there is no productivity at all in their lives. Notably most of these people facing drug addiction went to school, and are well qualified for jobs but due to unemployment they choose to distress the wrong way.

●Being in Abusive Relationships - there are many instances where by girls in particular will turn to dating men much older than them so they can get financial support to cater for their needs. This eventually results in most women staying in very abusive relationships which may later result in grievous harm or even death when arguments surface. If you know someone or you are in an abusive relationship don't hesitate to contact Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) for legal assistance and counselling.

●Crime involvement - a drastic increase in burglary crimes are due to lack of employment amongst other causes for such inhumane acts. The struggle of having to figure out where the next meal will come is real especially when there aren't any job openings and the standard of living is forever getting higher and higher.

How to deal with the situation of being unemployed

●Equip yourself with new skills - while you are at the stage of job hunting, make sure you find new skills to add to your cv. You can take online free courses and get learn Microsoft Office Package, get trained on accounting basics, telephone etiquette and a lot more short courses that can be useful to your CV.

●Look for means to employ yourself - manier times we often look down upon the idea of being self employed when nowadays its the one thing to do. You can pick this based on your interests.

-Agriculture: you can run a small garden at home and sell vegetables to the local people.

-Babysit: if you have a soft spot for children, why not run a day care and look after young children during the day when their parents are off to work.

-Baking/Cooking: are you a kitchen person whose keen about cooking. You can bake for people's birthdays and and make good money out of it. You can also prepare breakfast or lunch packs and deliver your favourite recipe to your customers. 

●Invest in your talents - your God given talent is your sure way to make money because you will be doing something you love so everything will be easy peasy!!😊

●Freelance for companies and individuals- avail yourself to companies to offer services to them in return  for cash,  are you a graphic designer? You can be the go to person should they need graphics of any sort. If you are a marketer showcase your skills, on social media so they can see your value and later they might approach you with a good offer.

There are many ways to curb unemployment, we just need to position ourselves well for endless opportunities. Wishing you all the best while you take up a big step toward shaping your life the right direction and finding your dream job. 

See you next Wednesday ❤️❤️