Youth Take Action on Unemployment Crisis

Unemployment is a global crisis and presents particularly a difficult labor market experience for young people. In Africa especially, unemployment and underemployment remain major obstacles to the full utilization of human resources despite relatively strong growth in the region over the last few years.

Youth in Kenya experience much higher unemployment rates than the rest of the Kenyan population. According to the World Bank, this is estimated to stand at 17.3 % compared to 6 % for both Uganda and Tanzania. 75 % of new post-secondary graduates fail to secure jobs in the highly competitive labor market. Employers cite lack of twenty-first century skills as the main issue. Youth startups and social enterprises can be a tool for empowerment, allowing youth to create jobs as well as solve real social problems within their communities.