Unemployment in Mozambique gravitates around 25% “officially” and 35% “unofficially”. To understand the root causes will have to seek beyond the obvious. Statistics don’t tell the all stories. Maybe that’s for another post.
On paper, Mozambique is a rich country from the land, the coast, the minerals, and the people. We can look from a perspective of a debilitated job creation economy or an opportunistic emerging economy.
The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the “vital few”). Other names for this principle are the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of factor sparsity.
Following the 80/20 principle, here is an idea. We are 30 million inhabitants. What if, 20% of the population – 6 million – could produce and secure 80% of the economic resources required to sustain the country? We already achieved a 20% threshold of people using mobile phones and the internet. Assuming that now they require better digital literacy and specific entrepreneurial skillset to leverage opportunities around them.
Addressing unemployment requires unlearning and rethinking the system of job value creation. He who creates jobs addresses (un)employment. The fact is that governments don’t create jobs. Companies do. Here, two vectors can address (un)employment at scale: entrepreneurship and digital literacy.
Our government job here is to improve policies and infrastructures that enable innovation. When facing unemployment, it’s important to understand the policies that shape the problem. No innovation survives the first encounter with poor policies.
“Teach people how to fish so they will feed themselves and their communities.” – proverb
a) Digital Literate Society
We need people who are comfortable using technology. People that can leverage technology to co-create their Financial Freedom from their knowledge. Mozambique can achieve DLS with mobile-first, professional, and personal skills development training.
b) Entrepreneurship Gap
We need people who are comfortable solving – formal and informal – problems around them. No one needs permission to become an entrepreneur. They can, are, and will create products and services with the potential to improve lives.
A shift from portraying entrepreneurs as privileged to be a universal right is a must. We need to align our resources, interest, and skillset with the reality of an entrepreneurial journey that is of endurance and uncertainty toward success. It’s not for everyone, nor should be. Those few who choose to pursue this path should be rewarded with all the support for trying to improve the lives of the many.
Progressive Employment = Open Digital Literacy Training + Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Rethinking (un)employment should be about giving people the tools to tackle (un)employment by themselves. When given the skillset people can employ themselves.Only when people own equity in their lives do they achieve the unthinkable.
