Causes Of Unemployment In Cameroon

Unemployment is situation in which a person who is able to work, actively seeking work, but is unable to find any. We cannot say someone is unemployed when all these conditions are not fulfilled. Statistics on unemployment are collected and analysed by government labour offices in most countries or by physical observation in other countries especially in the less developed world. There is never a situation of zero unemployment because of fact people are constantly changing their jobs and may be unemployed for a short while.

With Cameroon being my chosen context, unemployment there like other less developed countries is really alarming. Results of the survey on employment are quite disturbing. According to the Director of Statistics, Joseph

These factors include the causes of unemployment, the effects and some proposed solutions.

The educational curriculum in Cameroon, especially at the level of University does not match training to the requirements of the labour market. That is, the educational structure is not professionally oriented until recent. Many students in the university level study subjects like history, geography, literature etc. instead of professional courses. Getting a job after school becomes difficult because of the lack of professional abilities hence unemployment.

The unfavourable business climate for the development of the private sector, low entrepreneurial culture and not enough support of entrepreneurial projects as well as inadequate vocational training and poor information dissemination about job opportunities have favoured unemployment in Cameroon. Added to, many are always afraid or discouraged when initiating a new project or innovation. The poor development of a creative economy in Cameroon and some parts of Africa, where young people develop careers through arts, media and design, green jobs, sports, value addition for natural resources and ecotourism has constrained employment opportunities for

High taxes scare away both foreign and local investors hence reducing the chances of employing more youths. Also, youths roam the streets of Cameroon searching for jobs, many of which are only accessible if you are connected to someone in a higher place. A solution to this informal but somehow structured system needs to be found. This requires a conscience revolution among the thinking of Cameroonians.

There are many effects of unemployment in Cameroon some of which are; youth unemployment has contributed to poverty and low standards of living. Consequently, social ills like sex work, criminals, and scammers have increased. Prisons have, moreover, become crowded by many so-called ‘third generation’ social ills. These youths are pushed into doing all these due to the growing rate of unemployment.

Also rural exodus is also a symptom of youth unemployment. As a result, the health of cities has deteriorated. These migrants have been called “victims of urbanisation without industrialisation” who do not even get jobs as they go to the cities to make life easier for them and their families. Also, as a result the dependency ratios in the suburbs continue to rise and the younger population continue to