The Unsettling Question of Unemployment, Frustration and Crime in South Sudan
“When a simple question becomes difficult to answer it combusts”
By Abel Majur Leek, Bor, Jonglei State
December 19, 2015 (SSB) — Unemployment can be defined as state of being jobless. An unemployed person is one who is searching for job, ready and available to work, but cannot find it.
South Sudan is not the only country grappling with the challenges of unemployment particularly among her teeming youths and graduates; it is no longer uncommon to see unemployed persons besieging cyber cafes in search of job opportunity on the Internet.
Some, who do not have the financial muscle to spend hours at the café, trek kilometres of road visiting government owned and private organizations with their hand written application letters and qualification for enquiries for available employment opportunities, all to no avail.
In the same vein, those who have exposed themselves to series of interviews with assurances from their interviewers that they would be contacted in no distant time have continued to wait in vain. It is even more disheartening for one to pass an interview, whether it is written or oral and to discover that one’s position has been taken by another person.
This circumstance is the lots of many job seekers who do not have connection with “the powers that be” in an organization be it public or private. It is at this point that a few job seekers view their chances of securing employment as “bleak”, and then frustration and despondency will set in. It is also at this point that negative thoughts will infiltrate their minds.
Many a job seeker may know how some purported paramilitary recruits who gained employment in the time past or recently were able to make it.
In a circumstance of this nature, what becomes the future and fate of indigent applicants who do not know or have connection with a minister or a strong politician who can wield enormous influence for them? Only God knows.
Consequently many job seekers, who cannot bear the pangs of poverty and hunger, after fruitless years of job hunt, become ready tools in the hands of politicians who equip them with guns and use same to perpetrate crime during political campaigns and elections to actualize their paymaster’s selfish political ambition.
The rate of crime which is on the increase can be attributed to joblessness among other factors. One who has been privy to the confessions of armed robbers will concur with me that majority of them are driven into life of crime because of not having anything to do.
It is high time the powers that be; politicians, ministers and bosses of both public and private organizations stopped using their position to favour the employment of those who grease their palms, close relations, political associates’ friend or children etc. to the detriment of people who merited to occupy such positions base on merit and ability to contribute meaningfully to growth of the organization.
They should employ those who did excellently well in both their written and oral interviews. The creation of employment opportunities should not be left in the hands of government only; the private sector should also take part in reducing the rate of unemployment by investing in key sectors of the economy.
The likes of many organizations and private companies to mention that have contributed in no mean measure towards employing a lot of graduates through various investment ideas should be emulated by others who have the financial clout to setup private companies that will serve as avenue for the creation of more jobs for the unemployed.
The opinion writer can be reach abeleek2@gmail.com
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