The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that global youth unemployment figure has risen to 66 million and nearly 145 million youths who are working live in abject poverty.
The ILO revealed this at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, during a conference on innovations for decent jobs for youths.
The event provided a platform for governments, social partners, youth and civil society, private sector, foundations, United Nations entities and beyond to explore collaboration on innovations that work for decent jobs for youth under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
According to ILO, modern labour markets were identified as tough places for job seekers, as many feel the pressure to accept the first job offer they get, often without considering if the working conditions put their health and safety at risk.
It stated that this is a problem, since young workers suffer from injury and illness on the job at far higher rates than their adult counterparts. The ILO said, ” Poor occupational safety and health practices cost an estimated four per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year, translating to $3 trillion.
While these estimates are based primarily on the economic cost to businesses and government, when a young worker is injured, years of productivity are lost along with the investment in education and training.’’ It continued: “In 2014, 374 million workers globally suffered non-fatal occupational injuries.
The high rate of injury among young people is of particular concern, as one accident can destroy a life and a lifetime of career opportunities, earnings potential and general well-being.
“To improve the safety and health of young workers, empowering young people to take action to protect themselves and their peers at work should be at the heart of strategies while youth occupational safety and health champions can act as international spokespeople for better safety and health and bring much-needed creativity, energy and commitment to the table.
“Young people are also advised that since they understand the realities of their working lives better than anyone, their voices and ideas should be central to efforts to guarantee their safety and health at work.’’
Meanwhile, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki’s far-reaching revamp of the civil service and drive to reposition the state for optimal service delivery has thrown up vacancies in the building, maintenance, emergency services and agricultural sectors in the state.
This is coming on the heels of the state government’s renewed commitment to inject new life in the civil service in pursuance of impactful infrastructural and social development projects in the state. The vacancies, according to a release by the Chairman, Edo State Civil Service Commission, Princess (Mrs.) Ekiuwa Inneh, are for engineers, surveyors, firemen, architects, veterinarians, forest officers, town planners, among others.
The recruitment is an affirmation of a number of policy pronouncements made by the governor in recent times, particularly the setting up of ambulance service to facilitate the work of first responders in emergencies; setting up structure for management of the state’s forest assets; establishment of livestock farms and reviving the state’s real estate and agricultural sectors.
It was gathered that the state government was keen on ensuring that professionals man the key offices that would be interfacing with the private sector, which is increasingly expanding since the governor’s unrelenting expression of commitment to industrialising the state.
Nothing less than 42 vacancies in various disciplines are open and applicants are to apply through the state civil service commission.
The Daily Times recalls that in his Workers’ Day speech, Governor Obaseki said that the state hasn’t sacked any worker since his administration took the reins, rather provision has been made to employ more. “This government is proud that it has not sacked any worker even those that were moribund in their functions.
Rather, we have done so much to reabsorb, retrain and reassign these workers. “About 186 staff of the moribund Edo Line and Edo Courier have been redeployed to the Ministry of Infrastructure while we are working out ways of liquidating its debt of about N1.5bn. In a few weeks, the Civil Service Commission will advertise to recruit more civil servants to fill critical vacancies in the system,” he said at the Workers’ Day event.
