Work-Life Balance, Equality and Contributing to Community Development Defines Decent Work for a Nigerian Youth

Youth employment remains one of the defining challenges of our time. Addressing youth employment means finding solutions with and for young people who are seeking a decent and productive job; working but living in poverty, or are discouraged by current labour market prospects. Such solutions should address both supply, i.e. education, skills development and training, and demand, i.e. job creation and an enabling environment for entrepreneurship, as well as the quality of work available for young people including concerning labour standards, working conditions and wages.

 

In 2016, the Nigerian Government developed fundamental frameworks to address youth employment, the Nigerian Youth Employment Action Plan (NIYEAP) was then created. NIYEAP serves as the commitment of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth to address the youth employment challenge in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.

 

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Nigeria Youth SDGs Network carried out a national survey to gather youth’s perspectives and aspirations on work and employment as part of the finalization of the National Youth Employment Action Plan (NIYEAP) as well as in its implementation.

 

A total of 212,499 respondents in the age range 15-29 who agreed to participate in the survey. Information collected through this exercise provides an overview of youth’s aspirations and priorities, particularly what they hope to do/find in the labour market.

 

The youth who participated in the survey defined decent work as a job that provides work-life balance, and this was particular among those who have attained higher education. Yet, among those with lower educational attainment, an almost equal number of respondents chose either a work contract with rights and obligations, work/life balance or a good salary to define decent work. For youth, age 21 – 29, they are willing to contribute to their community and hence the need to provide opportunities that will not only cater for their welfare but provide service to the community. It also shows that employers need to respect and enhance working standards (hours, salaries, and job securities), which can help youth strike a balance between work and personal life while protecting their rights, particularly those of youth with low or no educational attainment, who tend to have dismal bargaining power.

 

This shows that in defining a job to be decent, the mindset of the youth needs to be put into perspective. Therefore, having young people participate in policymaking with regards to employment and trade unions is crucial. In a country like Nigeria with over 70 million youth population faced with high unemployment coupled with a reducing standard of living based on the education system available, it is commonplace to find youth being offered jobs that pay a daily wage without putting into perspective their healthcare or pension (to serve as a safety net when the youth gets older or suddenly becomes unemployed).

 

For many young Nigerians, getting paid employment is seen as a long process in the desire to break the cycle of poverty. This has led to a growth in the number of youth entrepreneurs who are going into entrepreneurship boot camps and accelerator programmes that will provide seed funding for their business idea or project. The rise in the use of technology has positively impacted the venture into entrepreneurship as youth who have a good grasp of graphic design or website development can work as freelancers and get paid income that is satisfying while working based on the effort, they have put into it. The entrepreneurial path has been tagged the escape route to attaining decent work as it provides the leverage to earn a fair wage while providing time for youth to do the things that they love.

 

As we strive towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that an enabling environment for youth-led businesses to thrive is paramount if we are to achieve decent work and economic growth. The first point of call will be for the government to provide a set of standards that will help the informal sector to thrive as a lot of young people (especially those with little or no education) are players in this part of the economy. This should begin with respect for their human rights and making provisions that will ensure they are free from harassments from local government authorities as well as the police. Also, providing business growth programmes and mentorship for youth in the informal sector will help them develop the right competence to ensure better bookkeeping and providing the impetus that will help their business to become formalized.