Youth unemployment in Uganda has triggered concern at the highest level. The country’s Finance Minister Hon Matia Kasaija, while on a visit to EPRC, implored the Centre to study the situation: “If you [EPRC] could help me to get a solution on what we should do to create enough jobs, government will take [your] policy recommendation with [the energy it deserves] so that the future of Uganda is assured.”
The economy can only generate 75,000 jobs which pale in comparison with at least 700,000 jobs needed annually to keep up with the growth in the labour force, according to the World Bank. To follow through the minister’s request, the EPRC will, in the next six months, produce a catalogue of studies that examine opportunities, challenges, and innovations to tackle the unemployment scourge.
The EPRC’s research focus this financial year ran under the theme “Accelerating sustainable and productive employment for inclusive economic growth in Uganda”. To implement the minister’s request, the Centre has committed to produce, in the next six month, several studies to examine different aspects of the unemployment problem and how it can be addressed. These studies will include those examining work-based learning, developing an employability index, and assess efficiencies of labour market institutions in the country.
Young people training in building. Photo/ENABEL
Here is a select list of five studies that our stakeholders should expect by the end of the 2024/25 FY
- Fostering innovations for employment opportunities through Work-Based Learning in Uganda. The study will examine Work-Based Learning (WBL) as a feasible option which integrates real-world experience with academic knowledge in addressing youth unemployment. It will examine the various forms of WBL, including formal, and informal training at workplaces can help boost transition to employment.
- A Multidimensional Employability Index for Uganda: Using UNHS 2019/20. This study seeks to develop an index to identify drivers of employability deprivation and establish a baseline for tracking progress. It seeks to inform the National Employment Strategy (2023-2028) by providing measurable indicators to enhance employability, particularly for marginalised groups.
- Socio-economic impacts of illnesses on employment outcomes in Uganda. The study aims to identify drivers of common illnesses, their economic costs, and their impact on labour market outcomes. The study will examine the socio-economic impacts of illnesses on employment outcomes in Uganda, highlighting the interdependence of health and labour market participation. For FY 2025/26, we plan to focus on climate change finance among other issues.
- Inclusive labour market institutions: A pathway to productive and decent work in Uganda? Labour Market Institutions (LMIs) are globally recognised as key wage and employment determination tools. We will work to produce evidence that informs policy and programme design and implementation to ensure that Uganda’s Labour Market Institutions (LMIs) understand their collective roles in fostering inclusive, productive, and decent work in Uganda. The project will ultimately strengthen our understanding of the interconnectedness between work-based learning, active labour market policies, and LMIs.
- Youth, Employment and Skills Pan African Coalition for Transformation (YES PACT) Phase III This bringstogether governments and local policymakers to share information and advocate on skills-based training and young people can be supported to match job market demands This involves carrying out studies on the chosen local situation with financial support from African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Ghana. For Uganda, the first phase looked at gaps in the implementation of the new competency-based curriculum for ordinary level and the second phase focused on in-service teachers’ preparedness for the curriculum.