Vox pop

The My Zone team asked the learners of David Bezuidenhout High School what they think are the causes for the high employment rate in Namibia, as it is one of the challenges faced by the youth.
Lauthicea Beukes
In my opinion, nepotism and the growth of the economy, in which the supply cannot meet the demands, as well as the education and work experience factors, are just some of the causes of the high unemployment rate in Namibia. Furthermore, the duality of the labour market combined with slow job creation and low primary sector productivity play a role.
However, corruption is also a vital cause of unemployment. Moreover, declines in work experience opportunities, skills, gaps, and shortages in existing and emerging sectors that damage productivity are also major contributors.

Job van Kent
Unemployment is one of the most economically degrading problems in Namibia. Due to a lack of unlocked potential in Namibia, our unemployment rate is high among the youth. Some young adults want jobs, but under- or over-qualifications also remain a problem. In some way, we would assume that the main cause is a lack of job opportunities. Young people don’t get the exposure they need to realise more about what they are worth or can accomplish.

Ingeborg Hoases
Our unemployment rate is caused by various reasons, such as a lack of jobs and the current financial crisis the government faces. Some youths are uneducated but yet demand high-standard jobs. Old people refusing to resign is also one of our major concerns, as is the youth being too lazy to create jobs for themselves. A narrow view of what to study is also one of the factors contributing to this. Most of the youth study to qualify in the same courses, leading to many people with the same qualifications looking for one post, which leaves many jobless.

Sarah Catota
Namibia’s youth unemployment rate is currently at 50%. Why is this happening? Unemployment is either caused by a lack of skills or job opportunities. In this case, it seems the lack of job opportunities is affecting the youth the most. It is very worrisome to have a slow job creation rate and a government that seemingly does nothing about it.

Aitope Shilongo
The low level of education is the main cause of unemployment for the youth of Namibia. The better-qualified people are, the easier it is to find a job since the demand for well-qualified people is quite high. In contrast, when people lack proper education, they are at great risk of unemployment since companies often do not want to employ them.

Natalia Moses
I believe the factors causing the high employment rate are endless, but there are some major ones. Firstly, most academics are just teaching the youth to be job seekers instead of job creators. Secondly, there are specific job markets that cannot accommodate all graduates. Lastly, the overpopulation of cities is the other factor, meaning the number of existing jobs is reduced.