The harsh reality behind closed doors for Uganda’s employed youth

In Uganda, one of the most pressing issues is youth unemployment. With more than 70 percent of its population being young people, Uganda holds the world’s highest youth demographic. 

Despite the vast potential and tireless efforts of young people, the reality is they often find themselves trapped in an infinite loop of low wages, financial constraints, and psychological distress caused by Uganda’s employer’s demeaning pay scales. 

Saddening reports highlight that although Ugandan youth are filled with ambition and tenacity, they are subjected to degraded wages that do not reflect their determination, painting a grim picture of the national employment landscape. The question begs: Why are the would-be country’s future leaders battling such odds?

The extreme marginalisation of Uganda’s young people remains a significant concern, with over 2.5 million of them unemployed, low pay has become the norm among this demographic. Most Ugandan employers determine wages based on an individual’s age rather than their skills or efforts. Undervaluing young people’s capabilities has amplified their financial constraints, especially given Uganda’s economic status. Several research studies report that approximately 21 percent of Uganda’s young people have experienced severe psychological distress due to the challenges that come with their employment status. 

In Uganda, the dominant culture of underpayment stems from a deeply embedded age-centric approach to wages. Employers wrongly associate young people with inexperience, therefore, disregarding their contribution and undervaluing their worth. In examining the issue under a magnifying glass, it can be observed that this biased methodology is unfavourable, given that the majority of these young people are well-qualified graduates, passionately striving to contribute to the workforce.

Their relentless pursuit of decent work is met with challenging economic realities marked by financial constraints. The excessive burden of these constraints has been proven to lead to prevalent mental health issues among both employed and unemployed young people. The psychological strain due to the perpetual struggle to survive has further exacerbated this issue, embedding a cycle of sorrow and despair.

To escape economic adversity, many of these young people have been forced into illicit activities like theft, leading to high crime rates, especially in the urban centres. Furthermore, many of the young people in Uganda have currently due to financial constraints been forced to take up loans from unauthorised online money lenders who subject them to exorbitant interest rates and threaten to publicly shame them on social media in case of delayed payments, trapping them in a cycle of debt and humiliation. 

The toxic combination of financial insecurity and predatory lending practices not only jeopardises their financial futures but also takes a toll on their mental wellbeing, further perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty and desperation among vulnerable youth. The issue takes on an even darker tone when we focus on young women. 

Citing social pressures worsened by the evolving digital landscape, vulnerable young women are increasingly coerced into leveraging their bodies for material gain, commonly referred to as “modern-day prostitution” – a disturbingly casual term for a disturbing reality. Likewise, numerous cases have been reported concerning sexual harassment within workplaces where female employees have been pressured into engaging in sexual relationships with their superiors in exchange for promotions or wage increments, exposing them to potential harm, and violating their rights to dignified work.

With Uganda’s death-defying economic state, the government and business community need to rectify the straining issue of youth unemployment coupled with underpayment for the employed, which substantially affects their mental health and pushes them into detrimental ventures. 

However, this change can only become feasible if we address the systemic issues, provide economic opportunities, and primarily redefine the existing work culture of how employers view and treat their young workforce.

Gladys Rosette Nandutu,  Programmes and Fundraising     Coordinator, Vijana for Sustainable Development & Environmental Action Uganda. [email protected]