This paper seeks to explore the conundrum of the African youth in the labour market as the number of young people continues to grow with a few job openings available for them. There is no unique determinant of the youth employment challenge in the African region. Rather, a combination of factors contributes to compound a situation that has become a top socio-political priority for the region.
Africa has the youngest population in the world and over 10 years from now, 30 million young people from the region are likely to enter the African labour market each year.
The African population is very young and therefore, one could say that the employment challenge is, in effect, also a youth challenge. Young people are between 1.5 and 2.5 times more likely to be out of work than older adults in most of the countries in the continent.
Africa’s unemployment conundrum is such that those in vulnerable employment and those underemployed in informal sectors are not always in the calculation when assessing the dangers of lack of jobs for young people. Youth find work but most often than not, in places where the pay is very low with lack of opportunity for skills development and job security.
This is so, partly because most African countries have not been able to transform fundamentally from low productivity agriculture to higher productivity on-agriculture sectors and when coupled with high fertility and low infant mortality, the result has shown little improvement in the building of sustainable employment structure.
Over the past few years, researches have been carried out on several dimensions of China’s education, training and labour relations with Africa. In spite of China’s discourse about the parity and importance of win-win in China–Africa engagement, many still think that China has not paid sufficient attention to the issue of job creation for the young people in Africa, considering the number of investments the country has in the continent.
Many Chinese companies operating in Africa have a negative assessment card. Beyond the claim of asymmetric relations and debt-trap diplomacy, when it comes to their employment record, some observers accuse the Chinese of mainly employing their citizens for projects in Africa, depriving the locals of potential jobs. When they do hire locally, the accusation is that the wages are very low and come with little or no training.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Why is youth unemployment an important topic for Africa?
3. Youth employment trends
4. Obstacles to better jobs for African youth
5. Youth in Africa and employment opportunities created by Sino-Africa Relations
6. How African youth can further capture jobs created by China
7. Conclusion
Objectives & Core Topics
This paper examines the complex challenges of youth employment in Africa within the context of the growing economic engagement between China and the African continent, seeking to identify strategies for better labor market integration.
- Demographic shifts and the surging youth population in Africa.
- Barriers to sustainable employment, including infrastructure deficits and lack of skills development.
- The impact of Chinese investments and Sino-Africa relations on local job creation.
- Policy recommendations for African governments to leverage Chinese partnerships for industrialization and employment.
Excerpt from the Book
5. Youth in Africa and employment opportunities created by Sino-Africa Relations
Of the over 10,000 Chinese companies operating in Africa, only a few rely on the locals, most of the others recruit minimal local labour, they instead rely tremendously on Chinese migrant labour in their infrastructure and public construction jobs. This school of thought has been countered by some academics who argue that there are no empirical figures to back the claim, stressing that it is not easy to get the exact numbers of African workers in Chinese companies due to the lack of official statistics.
The Ministry of Finance of Angola published a report, which featured the make-up of employees in 30 infrastructure projects completed by Chinese companies around the country. In a total of 3136 workers, 1872 were Angolans, making up 59.7 percent of the entire work-force. Buttressing the argument that the number of Chinese workers is still relatively high since it is over 40 percent.14
Reports on the construction of the Chinese-funded Imboulou dam in Congo Brazzaville witnessed as many as 2,000 locals, 400 Chinese and 20 German workers. Employment statistics in five operating Chinese economic zones reiterated the numbers in line with records from other quarters.15
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: Defines the concept of youth as a transitional phase and highlights the demographic reality of Africa as the youngest continent with significant population growth projections.
2. Why is youth unemployment an important topic for Africa?: Discusses the socio-economic risks of youth unemployment and the failure of the current labor market to absorb the growing number of young job seekers.
3. Youth employment trends: Analyzes the difficulties in obtaining accurate employment data in Africa and notes that youth unemployment rates in the region hold unique characteristics compared to global trends.
4. Obstacles to better jobs for African youth: Identifies structural challenges such as poor infrastructure, lack of credit, and inadequate educational systems as primary barriers to job growth.
5. Youth in Africa and employment opportunities created by Sino-Africa Relations: Critically evaluates the reliance of Chinese firms on migrant versus local labor and provides case study evidence from Angola and Congo Brazzaville.
6. How African youth can further capture jobs created by China: Argues for the necessity of capacity building and skill development to bridge the gap between local workforce potential and the requirements of Chinese-funded projects.
7. Conclusion: Summarizes the need for closer collaboration between African and Chinese entities to prioritize youth employment through improved training and internship schemes.
Keywords
Africa, China, Employment, Government, Labour, Opportunities, Unemployment, Youth, Industrialization, Infrastructure, Human Capital, Socio-political, Economic Growth, Capacity Building, Skills Development
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the challenges surrounding youth unemployment in Africa and the role that China, as a major economic partner, plays or could play in creating sustainable employment opportunities for the continent's growing youth population.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include demographic pressures, structural economic barriers in Africa, the criticism and reality of Chinese hiring practices, and the imperative for capacity building.
What is the main research question or objective?
The objective is to analyze why African youth face a labor market crisis and to propose how Sino-African cooperation can be better harnessed to translate economic investments into actual jobs for the local population.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The paper utilizes a qualitative analysis, relying on reports from international organizations (World Bank, ILO), government publications, and existing academic literature to synthesize trends in employment and industrialization.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers demographic trends, structural impediments to job creation, an empirical look at Chinese corporate hiring in Africa, and the potential for leveraging "going out" policies for industrial development.
Which keywords best describe this work?
Key terms include Africa, China, Youth, Employment, Infrastructure, Capacity Building, and Economic Growth.
How does the author view the "debt-trap diplomacy" narrative regarding China?
The author acknowledges the existence of such narratives but notes that they are often propagated by Western observers, while also balancing this with criticisms of Chinese labor practices in Africa.
What specific role can Chinese industrial investment play for African youth?
The author suggests that as China faces rising industrial labor costs, it presents an opportunity for Africa to host manufacturing sectors, provided that African governments focus on infrastructure and vocational training to capture these jobs.
What is the significance of the Kenyan National Youth Service mentioned in the text?
It is highlighted as a progressive example of how government initiatives supported by international cooperation (in this case, China) can be used to target and empower the young population.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Charles Okeke (Autor:in), 2019, The prospects of African youth in the labour market across the border between Africa and China, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/502571
