- About two-thirds (65%) of Mozambicans aged 18-35 say they are not employed and are looking for work, compared to 55% of 36- to 45-year-olds (Figure 1).
- Another 21% of youth are not employed and not seeking work.
- Similar to their elders, Mozambican youth say the main barriers to youth employment are a lack of adequate training or preparation (30%), a lack of experience required by employers (19%), and a mismatch between educational qualifications and job requirements (Figure 2).
- Almost half (46%) of young people say that if they were given a choice, they would prefer to start their own business. Three in 10 (31%) would opt to work in the public sector, while 13% would work for a private company (Figure 3).
- The youth’s preference for entrepreneurship is similar among men and women (45% vs. 46%) (Figure 4).
- If the government could increase its spending to help youth, job creation would be the top priority for young respondents (cited by 51% of 18- to 35-year-olds), followed by access to business loans (20%), education (10%), social services for youth (9%), and jobs training (8%) (Figure 5).
Nearly two-thirds of Mozambique’s youth say they are not employed and are looking for work, a recent Afrobarometer survey shows. Citizens aged 18-35 are more likely than their elders to report being unemployed.
Aside from economic conditions, young Mozambicans are most likely to identify a lack of adequate training or preparation as the primary barriers to youth employment, followed by a lack of work experience.
If given a choice, nearly half of youth would prefer to start their own business, while almost one in three would rather work in the public sector. Young men and women have similar job preferences.
If the government could increase its spending to help young people, job creation would be the top priority for youth, followed by access to business loans, education, and vocational training.