Youth Employment and Skills Development in The Gambia

Abstract

Despite substantial improvements in
 access to basic education and steady economic growth, The
 Gambia still faces considerable challenges in respect to
 reducing poverty. As the result of its narrow economic base
 and its reduced internal market, the country will continue
 to rely heavily on the productivity of its citizens to
 reverse the cycle that keeps families in poverty generation
 after generation. Poverty reduction is a complex equation
 that involves improvements in job creation, especially for
 high-skilled and productive employment, as well as
 improvements in human capital levels to ensure that citizens
 are able to take advantage of employment opportunities.
 Currently, however, low human capital levels greatly limit
 the productivity and employment outcomes of the population,
 as evidenced by the fact that a majority continues to work
 in subsistence agriculture, especially in rural areas.
 Nearly 60 percent of the poor in The Gambia are under the
 age of 20 years. Youth face significant challenges with
 respect to employment outcomes, such as a very difficult
 transition from school to work and very low levels of
 education and training. In terms of education levels, a
 significant proportion of young people (especially in rural
 areas) leave school early, in part due to what are perceived
 to be low returns on education. Many of those who do receive
 high quality education and training choose to emigrate. In a
 country where more than half the population is under the age
 of 20 years, these trends are worrisome. Overall, young
 workers are employed in jobs of low quality and high levels
 of informality. Female youth are also much more likely to be
 self-employed (46 percent, versus 32 percent for male
 youth). More than half of young workers are engaged in
 agriculture, which predominates in rural areas (82 percent,
 versus 16 percent in urban areas), and the services sector
 is the most important source of youth employment in cities
 and towns, accounting for almost 65 percent of employed
 youth. Female youth are less likely to be employed or in
 education, and more likely to be inactive (31 percent,
 against 27 percent for male youth); possibly reflecting the
 period when child-rearing and domestic responsibilities
 begin for female youth. The study assessed the impact of the
 following factors on youth's time use: education level,
 gender, local labor supply and demand, and place of
 residence. From the analysis, it was noted that the
 probability of being employed decreases as the level of
 human capital increases. In fact, uneducated youth display
 the highest probability of being employed.