Whose fault is it that you are unemployed in Mogadishu, Hargaysa or Jigjiga with a university degree?

Dr Nuur Hassan

You spend three to four years studying at university, and upon graduation with degrees and, for some, with postgraduate degrees, you hope to secure well-paying jobs in either the public or private sector, but you end up unemployed instead.

This is a reality for thousands of graduates in cities such as Mogadishu, Jigjiga and Hargaysa.

The question now is, whose fault is it that most graduates are unemployed?

I shared this with you in a Facebook post on June 19. In the post, I provided some hints to help you think about the causes. Hints included the relevance of the degrees acquired, the quality of education offered by universities, local politics, etc.

Quite a number of you have responded to the post and put forward causes which you asserted were the reasons why so many graduates are unemployed. Below is the summary of your responses summarised under four overarching themes;

Inadequate private sector.

The private sector cannot absorb the volume of graduates coming out of universities. There are no privately owned companies that can employ graduate-level workers — they simply don’t exist. There are some jobs in the service industry, banking, and telecommunications, but these are not graduate jobs.

Politically overcrowded public sector.

The biggest employer is the public sector, a crowded place rampant with clan politics. For many graduates, it is not their skills that will get them a job but who they know or whether they have the right connections.

Quality of education.

The quality of education offered by universities that produce thousands of these graduates every year is questionable. Graduates are not taught properly throughout their courses, and when they graduate, they are not employment-ready. There are graduate engineers who are only engineers on paper but unable to do basic engineering tasks, etc.

Surplus of not-in-demand degrees.

There are more graduates with degrees whose skills are not in demand in the tight labour market. Universities are not graduating enough STEM graduates.

Recommendations.

While this was not a robust survey, the responses nevertheless offered insight into what could be a good research ground for further studies. Based on the themes that emerged from the responses, the following recommendation can be put forward as a rallying point to resolve the problem.

1. To the universities: revise your curricula and introduce more STEM degree courses. Establish relationships with local businesses to encourage work placements funded by the universities. This will allow graduates to have real-world experiences.
2. To the private sector(mainly hospitality, banking, telecommunications, and retail): Stop employing cheap foreign employees and invest in the region’s future by offering graduate jobs.
3. To the policy makers( central and regional governments). Encourage the private sector to employ more graduates by offering tax holidays/incentives for any business employing local graduates. Introduce public-private initiatives to create apprenticeships for graduates.
4. To the graduates: Develop your employability skills while at university. Consider entry-level jobs in different sectors. Engage in more voluntary work. Develop a mindset that values working for yourself rather than working for someone else.

Conclusion

There are no magic bullets for resolving the current problem. Even fully developed economies struggle to maintain full employment. However, with the right policies and attitude, the employment conditions of these graduates can be improved. Somalis, whether in Mogadishu, Jigjiga or Hargaysa, are resilient and entrepreneurial people; therefore, with the right leadership from the public, private and academia, jobs can be created for the unemployed graduates.

Thank you to those who took part in the survey.