Let’s streamline labour export

In May, a total of 1,300 graduates from Makerere University were awarded degrees and PhDs.  
Makerere University accounts for only one out of five public universities in Uganda, excluding the private universities, which have since released graduates this year. 

Recent statistics show that in 2018/2019 the total student enrolment increased from 261,087 to 275,254, showing an increase of 5.43 percent. University enrolment was at its highest with 192,346 registered students per year. Tertiary institutions also had a total enrolment of about 130,000 with university enrolment accounting for about 71 percent of this.

Positive government policies are encouraging more participation of the private sector in the provision of education services, meaning the above trends of enrolment will continue to skyrocket
The question is, can the Ugandan job market accommodate all this labour? The answer is no.
This explains why labour externalisation in Uganda is a necessary evil.

The job market in our country is designed in such a way that only the “lucky” graduates land on white collar jobs and these earn an average of Shs500,000 monthly for the start and many don’t even get the chance to get these jobs after applying endlessly. 

The majority of graduates later resort to side hustles or businesses to survive. Thus external labour programme presents many opportunities to these desperate young Ugandans.

Labour externalisation was launched in 2005 and since then we have 225 licensed recruitment companies with more than 600,000 migrant workers. For the last 10 years, more than 12,000 Ugandans have left for the Middle East in search of employment opportunities, with the number adding to 140,402 migrant workers as of April 2021. 

The Account Information Service Provider report indicates that labour externalisation contributes Shs4.5 trillion as revenue to the Gross Domestic Product, which is higher than coffee export receipts.
The high population growth rate as a result of the fertility rate has led to an increase in the labour force, which is reflected in the large number of untrained and unskilled young people entering the labour market every year.

The number of Ugandans living in poverty is still overwhelming. Many young girls do all they can to see themselves getting to a place where they can provide for themselves and their families.  Currently, the minimum wage  or salary for migrant workers is  about Shs1m per month. This is something our young girls can tap into to make ends meet.

Labour externalisation in itself is not bad but it has since lost its way since many are now using it for the wrong purpose. Today, reports indicate that since labour externalisation gained momentum five years ago, 90 cases of domestic violence, 257 sickness and disease cases and 88 deaths are reported every year. 

Therefore, there is a need to align all stakeholders in the migration industry to work together and clean up the trade.

Setting up a minimum standard wage for migrants will also come a long way in the prevention of these torture cases in the Middle East and across the world.

I propose that government takes up a labour externalisation initiative to protect its citizens from selfish-minded business people.

Many are starting to lose interest in labour externalisation and this too will have an impact on government income.

The government needs to put in place proper monitoring structures that will go a long way in tracking its citizens working in various countries. 

Authorities need to get to the core of torture cases and find ways to address them. 
Most importantly, Ugandan migrant workers need to be recognised and protected as they make a significant contribution to the country

Abdallah Kayonde, President of the Migrant Workers’ Voice