Unemployment prevalent across Africa

Over a third of youth in South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania are neither employed nor in education or training (NEET).

This is according to Africa Competitiveness Report 2017 which also says many more are in unpaid or vulnerable employment.

The report explains that employment in high-skilled occupations is not increasing from the pre-global financial crisis period (2003–06) levels.

Low-skilled occupations have increased by 9,5 percent in Africa, whilst medium and high-skilled occupations have decreased by 5 percent and 0.2 percent respectively.

It also reports that many highly educated people struggle to find relevant job opportunities, even in middle-income countries.

For example, unemployment levels among workers holding a tertiary education degree are as high as 18.5 percent in Morocco, 19.9 percent in Mauritius, 23 percent in Algeria, 30.1 percent in Tunisia, and 31.1 percent in Egypt.

Although data limitations on labour demand and supply factors impede a comprehensive evaluation of African job markets, there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the quality of education plays an important role in determining such outcome.

The Global Competitiveness Index shows that education quality in Africa continues to be low and improvements are taking place at a much lower rate than increases in enrolment.