Enhance Employment and Self-Employment Opportunities for Young People Through Access to Skills Development- Zambia

Background

Zambia has experienced economic growth averaging 6-7% annually but continues to face the challenge of poverty, unemployment, underemployment, informality, poor conditions of work, etc. This growth has not been commensurated with the creation of employment for young women and men. In fact, the increase in total employment is largely attributed to informal economy employment which accounts for 90% of the total employment.

The main causes of youth unemployment/underemployment have been identified as low education and skills; low levels of entrepreneurship coupled with limited access to finance, technology and markets; low absorptive capacity of the labour market for new entrants; and the concentration of growth in highly capital-intensive and urban-based sectors.

Project

The project (based in the ILO Lusaka Office) is working closely with the Ministry of Youth and Sport with an overall objective of supporting the implementation of the National Youth Policy which was launched in 2006. The project was conceived under the framework of the Zambia Decent Work Country Programme 2012-2015 which was developed to support national programmes and which has a defined priority for the creation of more and better employment opportunities for target groups which includes young women and men.

The project's main objective seeks to enhance employment and self-employment opportunities for young people through access to skills development. Its interventions are grouped into three areas of work:

1. Strengthening the framework for youth employment promotion in Zambia trough data based decisions/plans.

• Fresh data are collected and analysed (through the SWTS and other sources), providing an updated knowledge base on the nature of the youth employment challenge in the country, effectiveness of the labour market, identification of job-rich sectors and their value chain potential.
  • Preliminary Results of the 2012 Labour Force Survey
• A review of effectiveness of country policies and programmes on youth employment is made available to constituents and other partners.
• Specific youth employment issues are identified and become the starting point to review the National Action Plan and address youth employment through the application of decent work principles

2. Improved Business Development Services and access to finance for young women and men for the promotion of self employment

• Business Development Service organizations offer more relevant and quality services to young entrepreneurs
• Finance Institutions develop more youth friendly financial products and services
• Youth entrepreneurs associations and cooperatives provide more valuable support services to their members, including knowledge on rights at work and promoting gender equality
  • Improve Your Exhibition Skills
    • During the training young artists composed a song saying thank you to ILO.

3. Increased awareness and knowledge on youth employment challenges and good practices by key stakeholders, including Government, social partners, civil society, academia, donors and the general public

• Attitudes of young women and men towards entrepreneurship is improved through media-based promotion programmes and campaigns

  Youth Employment Newsletter Issue 1 Issue 2

  Junior Reporters On-line Magazine

Additional Information

• The project has been developed and implemented in coordination with the project "Gender Mainstreaming on Youth Employment Actions in Zambia" also financed by Sida.
• In December 2013 the Youth Employment Project organised a dialogue meeting for 16 young men and women with the Director General during his visit to Lusaka
  • ILO chief to visit Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia