The youth and unemployment against the backdrop of economic collapse in South Sudan

The article was first published on 15th June 2019 on Juba Monitor

By Jok WaMonychok, Juba, South Sudan

Sunday, August 30, 2020 (PW) — Despite massive unemployment across all ages, fingers and tongues have constantly been directed discriminatingly towards the youth. This is done either out of ignorance or purposefully as a mere attempt to deflect the blame from obvious causes we all know. 

Unemployment continues unabated for no good reason even from unlikely individuals; more specifically economists. 

As it may turn out, you can restructure the subject of this opinion by replacing it with ‘why youth are unemployed’ if you like. That is because as I try to engage my readers with the forms of unemployment, I may deviate a little from my thematic area of focus.

In economic literature, scholars have placed much emphasis on categorical aspects of unemployment, dividing it into more than seven types. Unemployment refers to the state of an economy where people who are willing and able to work cannot find jobs.This definition does not consider those who are not willing to work and those impaired or with serious disabilities.

Therefore, let’s see these four types of unemployment: cyclical, seasonal, frictional, and structural and try to see why youth are not employed. Could it be their fault? Or should we look beyond them? 

First, cyclical unemployment is the type of unemployment,which occurs when there is economic slowdown or slump. As more and more outputs are produced and the aggregate demand is low, firms turn to close the door for recruitment as well as laying off workers to minimize costs. A number of firms have practiced this kind of method in parts of the country. 

Normally, modern economies undergo two cycles – the boom and slump. It’s during slump that an economy is either in recession or depression depending on the length and level of severity resulting into cyclical unemployment reaching its peak.

This is the common type of unemployment in South Sudan where the crippling economy is besieged by both micro and macro economic problems with well-known caricature of it as a patient under life support machine. 

Another type of unemployment is seasonal unemployment. This occurs under the situation where workers can no longer do their jobs because of weather conditions.

Examples are agriculture, which relies on rainfall and mining activities such as gold extraction, which puts the lives of miners at risk because of potential collapse. 

In South Sudan, Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, and some parts of Equatoria regions practice seasonal agricultural activities. Thus, workers who rely on agriculture have to stay unemployed during dry seasons.

Statistically, more than 80% of South Sudan population is employed in agricultural sector. While over 90% presumably uses rudimentary methods of farming.  

The third is frictional unemployment, which occurs when workers are between jobs. This type of unemployment is temporary because jobs and workers are there; they just look for themselves.

Literally, this type of unemployment occurs when one leaves the job that is unsatisfactory or pays less in order to look for one that is satisfactory and pays well. Another example is a fresh graduate from university who is still looking for a job.

In south Sudan, many graduates are looking for jobs but can’t find jobs. The case of workers leaving jobs is unimaginable here. Unlike developed countries where jobs are available, South Sudan is underdeveloped and there are no jobs available unless with the help of an uncle. 

Lastly, structural unemployment is more serious and it is caused by mismatch between job skills needed for the job and the skills possessed by the job seekers or a mismatch between the job seekers and the job location. This occurs in a dynamic economy,which experiences change in technology and lack of labour mobility. Example is mechanized farming, which subjects manual labor to obsolescence.

Unless the government integrates this change into its educational and training programs in order to match the job skills of workers and job skills needed to do the job, workers experience structural unemployment. 

With the explanations above, the other side of the story is easy to predict. ‘Lazy youth’ is a hoax. In an economy with inflation hitting triple figures and held hostage by corruption, civil war, low literacy levels and nepotism, the youth of South Sudan will remain ‘lazy’ and victims of undeserved criticism from whoever wants to be painted brighter in this despicable situation.

Youth would be lazy if full employment, which is at three per cent rate of unemployment is consistent with normal four per cent rate of inflation. Otherwise, calling youth lazy is getting outdated and carries full weigh of utter demagoguery as everyone begins to learn economic terms such as full employment, inflation, GDP, GNP, GNI, per capita, balance of payment etc. 

A lot has been said about self-employment through entrepreneurship or any income generating activity. But the reality is,it is another way of shifting blame or vilifying the innocents. With our ever slump economy, investing meager financial aid from one supportive relative into an undertaking equates to a diminutive villager putting on size-twelve shoes. Our poor economy will mercilessly devour it leaving one with unforgettable regret and shame. 

However, much work and sacrifice is needed from those with financial capital in providing capital on one hand and microfinance institutions in providing interest free loans on the other. 

To facilitate and spur economic recovery, some incentives and injection is done in form of tax exemption, buying bonds from public, issuing interest free loans etc. This is done specifically by the Central Bank. The aim of injection is to stimulate economic growth through viable and sustainable measures of economic stability. This leads to local production alternatively referred to as import substitution, a very effective macro-economic strategy that we cannot cover in this article.

Nevertheless, I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper attitude should prevail. Alas, our society lacks benevolence in its socio-economic treasury. Unlike Darfurians who economically support and mentor themselves, South Sudanese are threatened by economic success of others. Many prefer foreigners as custodians for their businesses to fellow compatriots. 

Microfinance institutions are less blameworthy in this case because they cannot issue loans without tangible security. Sincemajority of the youth have no assets to present as collateral or surety it becomes difficult to issue loans.  

In conclusion, we youth are hardworking and willing to work. We love economic independence. We admire economic success that is why people with money and wealth are revered with bow and shake. Even educational success has become less admirable than financial success. 

The youth marry late while their girlfriends are snatched by other rich youth or painfully by rich grand-daddies. The feeling of hatred and humiliation cannot be described in electronic printor a  movie. It is only best expressed by swallowing the terminator in one piece for him to be consumed by steaming heat of hatred inside.  

Dear fellow youth, if you have capital, make a feasibility study and start a business. We are the economic pillars of this country. A man is not a man because he wears trousers or impregnates a woman. Women nowadays wear trousers. You are a man when you are economically independent. 

The writer is a graduand of Economics at Catholic University of South Sudan. He is a Business Strategist and the author of an incoming novel, The Twisted Destiny. He is reachable at jokwamonychok@gmail.com

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