Monday, October 17, 2016

Job Creation And Training Should Always Be The Highest Priority

By Gary Hayes


Millions of people in all countries, both the wealthy ones and the poor ones, live miserable lives because they simply cannot find work and therefore cannot earn an income to maintain a reasonable standard of living. Governments acknowledge the problem but it is not possible to create work without a growing economy. One thing is certain however. Job creation and training cannot be viewed as separate issues and only by seeing these issues as two sides of the same coin can progress be made.

Many people that read the classifieds and that peruse the internet say that there are always hundreds of positions on offer and that they fail to understand why unemployment rates remain so high. The answer is simple. There are indeed many positions available, but they are for skilled people in fields that are experiencing serious shortages of qualified people. The majority of those desperately seeking jobs have no formal education.

It seems rather obvious that much can be done to solve the massive unemployment problem by providing qualifications and formal skills development to more people. Once they are qualified their chances of finding work will be much improved. Unfortunately, following a program at higher educations institutions is expensive and simply out of reach of most unemployed people. Bursaries are also scarcer than before and fewer apprentices are accepted by large employers.

Students are also to blame. Far too many people enrol for educational programs that will be of no or very little help to them when they seek a position. Most governments and many relevant organizations regularly publish critical skills shortage lists. Prospective students should conduct some research and rather opt for a field of study that will most likely lead to productive and rewarding employment.

The labour laws in many countries also contribute towards the unemployment dilemma. Unrealistic minimum wages, rules about minimum benefits, unrealistic targets regarding the employment of minority groups and a host of other factors make large companies hesitant to employ more people. Union demands and strikes do not help either. The result is that many bigger companies opt for mechanization and even relocation.

Many governments have implemented programs that aim to encourage jobless people to consider entrepreneurship. The idea is that people that start working for themselves will work harder and eventually they will be able to provide employment to others. To this end many entrepreneurship educational programs have been implemented and thousands of people have been equipped with the basic skills necessary to start and to manage a small enterprise.

There can be absolutely no argument about the fact that the main priority of the government is to look after the interests of its citizens. This means that it is the duty of government to make employment its first priority and to provide help to those that are living in poverty. Liberty, the pursuit of happiness and legal rights are enshrined in the constitution but no one can eat that.

There is no simple solution to the employment problem. Unions, corporations and the government need to set aside their private agendas, however, and become true representatives of the people. Sadly, most unemployed people and the poor do not believe that such a thing will ever happen.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment