African Employers’ Taskforce on Employment and Employability Employment for and in Africa 10 measures for decent and sustainable work

Growth figures for Africa ❖ According to the African Economic Outlook, Africa saw economic growth of 4.7% in Global growth was 3%. In 2014, growth on the African continent is estimated at 5.8%. ❖ Africa is the world's second growth hub after Asia. The seven economies with the highest growth rates in the world are located in Africa. ❖ Africa recovered well from the global economic crisis

Unemployment figures for Africa ❖ However, looking at the unemployment figures, we can conclude that Africa's economic growth is not creating many jobs. Despite the economic recovery, this situation can be seen worldwide because unemployment continues to rise. The ILO estimates that 203 million people were unemployed in This figure is expected to increase by 13 million by 2018, as unemployment levels are higher amongst young people. ❖ Africa is severely affected by unemployment, particularly youth unemployment and under-employment. For example, in Nigeria unemployment stood at 12% in It rose to 19.7% in 2009.

Understanding unemployment in Africa ❖ In 2013, it was estimated that 73 million young people were unemployed worldwide; a rate of 12.6%, which is expected to rise to 12.8% by 2018 ❖ Generally speaking, young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than those aged 24 and above ❖ Both cyclical and structural issues are relevant in the context of youth unemployment ❖ There are significant disparities between regions in terms of youth unemployment, as well as an asymmetry with respect to adult unemployment. Youth unemployment is particularly high in our own countries - generally higher than 20%. ❖ There are more than 200 million people aged living on our continent. According to those figures, we have the youngest population in the world. This is a clear competitive advantage, if we are able to find the right solutions and offer those young people prospects ❖ Today there are approximately 550 million people of working age on our continent. Experts say that this working-age population will rise to over one billion people, overtaking India and China ❖ Finally, of the 73 million jobs created on the African continent, only 16 million went to young people ❖ This is the most pressing issue for our economies if we are to avoid serious social crises

Observations ❖ Growth in Africa is creating few decent and sustainable jobs ❖ Mismatch between the needs of economic operators and young people in the labour market ❖ Soft skills remain relatively under-developed for entry into the workforce ❖ Limited involvement and mobilisation of social partners on employment issues ❖ Severely under-developed labour market intermediation systems, with limited resources ❖ Inflexible labour market legislation in certain countries ❖ Inefficient professional training systems ❖ Poor-quality education systems, variable from country to country and inadequate overall ❖ Many diagnostic measures and action plans have been implemented, with no real results.

Ambitions ❖ Mobilise employer organisations and trade unions on the employment issue, youth employment in particular ❖ Mobilise the ILO to create the conditions necessary for success, working in complete synergy and avoiding fragmentation and a lack of concrete results ❖ Mobilise and raise awareness among governments

Strategic objectives ❖ Capacity-building by employer organisations ❖ Implementation of structured advocacy on employment issues at government level ❖ Mobilise trade unions on the employment issue ❖ Propose an employment pact for Africa, with an annual conference to provide updates on the roadmap and assess the implementation of the pact

Operational guidelines 1. Create the conditions for growth that generates decent and sustainable jobs Business climates and conditions Sectoral strategies Competitiveness of businesses Improved business productivity

Operational guidelines 2. Develop sustainable enterprise and income-generating activities Awareness-raising in schools and universities Establish an incentive framework and set up sites (business incubators) Introduce a mobile centre for the development of income-generating activities and promote co- operatives

Operational guidelines 3. Develop training Vocational Apprenticeships Work-linked training Encourage the introduction of industry traineeships as early as possible in schools

Operational guidelines 4. Create and develop labour market intermediation systems 5. Establish an employment and employability observatory 6. Implement an incentive plan to encourage businesses and associations to hire 7. Introduce an upgrade plan for soft skills Soft skills for all 8. Make industry traineeships compulsory 9. Review and adapt educational practices to bring them into line with the labour market 10. A national charter by governments, trade unions and employers for a pact for decent and sustainable work

IOE task force Commitments, synergy, results 10 measures for decent and sustainable work

Government commitments ❖ Improve the business climate to improve rankings for doing business and boost investor confidence ❖ Enhance capacity for launching sectoral strategies to stimulate growth ❖ Adapt legislation to reflect changes in the labour market and different economy types ❖ Adjust sectoral strategies and employment policies ❖ Work effectively to tackle the informal economy ❖ Support the development of SMEs and micro-businesses, which offer enormous potential for future job creation

Trade union federations ❖ Participate fully in sectoral strategies and employment policies ❖ Establish mutual trust with economic operators through calm, effective and sustainable social dialogue, to make businesses more competitive ❖ Acknowledge the principle that wealth creation comes from business

Employer organisations ❖ Become an influential driving force by strengthening their capacities ❖ Work with governments in terms of employment policies ❖ Promote the expression of skills-based needs in terms of quality and quantity (human capital skill plan) ❖ Play a dynamic role in the education and training system ❖ Support the development of SMEs and micro-businesses ❖ Cultivate tax compliance and social responsibility ❖ Acknowledge that employers should develop the skills of their employees and young graduates