Employment and livelihood

High unemployment and underemployment of the young people is one of the most pressing development challenges for young people.

High unemployment and underemployment

High unemployment and underemployment of the young people is one of the most pressing development challenges for young people. Insufficient creation of quality and gainful jobs in the economy, especially for the youth with an estimated unemployment rate of 13.3%, low labour
productivity; high youth unemployment at an average of 38% (if adjusted for non-paid labour);

The hitherto weak ability of the economy to create sufficient numbers of jobs is driving the country’s brain drain to higher-income countries with labour shortages. Ugandan youths trained up to degree/diploma level are exiting our country to take up employment requiring little or no skills.

Proposed Actions

Graduate service scheme

The forum sponsored a private members Bill, entitled the Graduate Service Scheme Bill in the 10th Parliament.

The forum sponsored a private members Bill, entitled the Graduate Service Scheme Bill in the 10th Parliament. The forum will work with the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to expedite the process of re-tabling the Bill in Parliament for enactment.

Local Content Bill, 2021

The forum will advocate and support the enactment of the Local Content Bill, 2021. President declined to assent to it.

The forum will advocate and support the enactment of the Local Content Bill, 2021. In August 2020, the Bill was returned to Parliament, after the President declined to assent to it.

The Buy Uganda Build Uganda policy that aimed at increasing consumption of local products and increasing participation of local firms in domestic trade has not been fully implemented.

The purpose of the bill will be to establish a certain quota of government procurements for the Youth Businesses and a certain quota of jobs on government works for the Youth as well as establishing a mechanism of Technology Transfer from foreign companies to Local Companies.

Streamlining labour externalization

The Government of Uganda acknowledges that labour markets abroad provide employment.

The Government of Uganda acknowledges that labour markets abroad provide employment opportunities for Ugandans in the short run as the country develops its capacity to generate sufficient jobs for its labour force.

This is the productive age of many people but while the labour force is increasing with each passing year, the labour market is actually shrinking rendering it incapable of accommodating the young Ugandans that join the labour market annually.

This makes labour externalisation the most feasible alternative way out of this unemployment conundrum. Preliminary Report Of The Committee On Gender, Labour And Social Development On UPFYA.

UPFYA is is cogzinant of the positive strides by the government to streamline migrant labour force including the establishment of the labour externalization unit of the Employment Services Department in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

However, the fluid nature of labour export, coupled with the desperate unemployment challenges predispose youth to unscrupulous labour export companies and individuals and human trafficking. The forum will: -
● Lobby for the establishment of the rescue fund and hostels in countries where labour export is most (Gulf countries), though budgetary
allocations to missions abroad for this purpose.
● Advocate for the establishment of a repatriation fund that is contributed to by the labour export companies and the government to support
young migrant workers returning and resettling
● Task the government to implement of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2009
● The forum will task the MoGLSD to fast track the finalization of the review process and dissemination of the Employment (Recruitment of Ugandan Migrant Workers Abroad) Regulations, 2OO5.

Youth enterprise and Start ups

Agenda 2063 posits that by 2023, Africa’s Youth will not only be mobile across the continent.

Agenda 2063 posits that by 2023, Africa’s Youth will not only be mobile across the continent, but 15% of all new business start-ups will emanate from their ingenuity and talent acquired in part from the fruits of the skills revolution driven by science, technology, and innovation (STI).

The 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report indicated that almost 30% of the Young Ugandans (18- 34) are engaged in the early stages of setting up and running a business, Uganda’s young people are under educated and ill-equipped to manage commercial enterprises beyond the Externalisation Of Labour Phenomenon UPFYA one person start-up phase.

Uganda’s business discontinuation rates are at 26% and among the highest in the world, with many of these businesses unable to see their first birthday.

The forum will lobby for the establishment of Law on Start ups to provide for a Startup and Incubation fund and to provide for tax holidays for Youth SMEs for the first year of Business at least to enable them to kickstart well and not to strangle them at the initiation.

The forum will, together with the NYC lobby for ring-fencing of 35% of all Parish development model funding to be allocated to the youth, an
increment in the funding of the youth capital venture fund to adequately address the issues that were highlighted in the Youth Livelihood Program associated with large groups and limited funding.

The forum will engage with the ministry of trade and industry and the ministry of finance planning and economic development to address the bottlenecks to Youth business startups such as the high cost of credit, and transport to increase the competitiveness of youth products and create more wealth.

Legislative Agenda

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info@upfya.or.ug

Legislative Agenda