The grouping of Unemployed Graduates of Senegal (Rdses) held a press briefing yesterday, Tuesday January 14, to denounce the non-transparency in the deliberation bodies on exams, recruitment and public financing, the regular organization of exams and competitions giving access to certain professions
The Rdses, an apolitical non-profit association whose goal is access to employment for young graduates through advocacy with the authorities and civil society, through partnerships and by strengthening the capacities of its members, has faced the press yesterday, Tuesday, for more job offers for young people. According to its president, Oumar Sow, “we are working to build a just and prosperous society through quality higher education and fair access to decent employment for current and future generations”.
Noting the extent of unemployment in Senegal, Mr. Sow argued that the right to work is enshrined in the provisions of Article 8 of the Constitution as well as those of Article 1 of the Labor Code. They are implemented through employment policies.
“Employment policies cover public interventions which aim to correct imbalances in the labor market and the consequences of its dysfunctions such as unemployment and discrimination against certain categories of people,” he said. makes it understood. And to add: “ exploring all possibilities of professional integration for these active human resources is the main objective assigned to any employment policy worthy of the name “. If, in this quest for employment, the Rdes maintains that Senegal is full of several job niches, it also estimated that the immensity of the projects to be undertaken is a good indicator of employment potential but the incapacity of the authorities public to make good use of available human resources condemns the latter to idleness and indigence which could transform this asset of available human resources into uncontrollable social dangers or potential migrants. “ A country to be built should offer more work opportunities than a country almost completely built. The argument of the training-employment mismatch no longer holds up against the reality of precarious employment experienced by more and more graduates. Matching is only possible through the internship and the observation is almost unanimous that the provisions of the decree regulating the internship are very little respected in private companies in particular » said Mr. Sow. And to attest: “young job seekers are exposed to underemployment which benefits employers who are often not in good standing with all their own employees. Local security, public transport by private companies, call center staff, private sector trainees and many others are all pursuing the SMIG and were all excluded from all the relief measures taken to make facing the ravages of COVID-19 “. Remember that in Senegal, employment policies generally revolve around public service recruitment, the granting of public funding and the organization of professional exams and competitions.
Promotion of entrepreneurship and revision of exams and competitions
-The DER, FONSIS, FONGIP and ANPEJ are all structures dedicated to supporting and financing entrepreneurship, these young people however believe that the impact of the numerous funding granted is weak either because the choice of beneficiaries is “corrupt » by the political virus or that the amounts allocated are not enough to boost activity decisively. To this end, they invited these financing windows to be more attentive to the profiles of applicants to optimize their resources for the benefit of entrepreneurs by vocation.
The other lever on which to press to promote professional integration in the public sector and empowerment through the exercise of regulated liberal professions turns out to be exams and competitions. “ The State-Employer agreement is a relevant tool to remedy the mismatch between training and employment. By exempting companies from certain taxes in return for recruiting young interns, the State would promote the progressive professional integration of young graduates. The effective application of this convention is urgently required to significantly reduce the number of candidates for irregular emigration among graduate students.“. Still, as part of the search for solutions, these young unemployed graduates also advocated the establishment of an employment guarantee as a public policy instrument. Denouncing “clientelistic” recruitment that does not comply with efficiency requirements, they are finally demanding more transparency.
Denise ZAROUR MEDANG
