Jobless graduates: Will 2016 bless them with bliss?

The spectre of one ‘unemployed’ graduate per family is likely to be a thing of the past if the economy picks up. 2016 has been said to be the year of an economic re-launch and expectations are running high among jobless graduates. The number of graduates produced by new tertiary institutions is increasing rapidly, but the economy is slow to absorb them all. Many factors explain this situation. Employers continue to express their concern on ‘skills mismatch’. The available pool of labour does not match the skills required by industry and other emerging sectors. Lack of career guidance has also contributed to youngsters choosing the wrong field of study which does not land them a job. To remediate the situation, the government has taken a number of measures.

1. The three campuses under construction, at Réduit, Montagne-Blanche and Pamplemousses, will now be converted into training centres known as ‘Polytechnics’.
2. The 3,000 unemployed graduates will be able to follow courses at the University of Mauritius and other tertiary institutions and benefit from a government subsidy of Rs 80,000 per annum.
3. A new Higher Education Bill is being prepared to regulate the tertiary education sector.

Regarding employment creation, the solution will come from the announced mega projects, the emerging sectors of the economy and the boost given to the SME sector. It is expected all these will create demand for professionals at middle management level, and young graduates will find opportunities. Young graduates also have the opportunity to launch their own small enterprises. While the previous government relied on ‘circular migration’ to encourage Mauritians to take up jobs in countries such as Canada and in the Gulf, the current government is encouraging members of the Mauritian Diaspora to come back to Mauritius, to invest and to work. The idea is to tap into the investment capacity of the Mauritian Diaspora as well as to benefit from their knowhow, experience and talent. However, the return of the Diaspora is not appealing to unemployed graduates, the latter fearing all the good jobs will be taken by people who will have an edge over the recruitment selection exercises. But another school of thought looks at it in another way: Diaspora members who invest in Mauritius might create further jobs for the very graduates fearing for their future! The only drawback is the lengthy and cumbersome procedures for Mauritian Diaspora members to avail of the new scheme. After all, our Diaspora members are used to swift and seamless bureaucracy in their country of adoption and are put off by tedious administrative hassles here. So will the graduates finally see the light of day this year? The mega projects are long-term ones. The new SMEs will take their time. In the meantime, graduates can follow conversion courses. But what do the graduates propose? A mini-survey among graduates on social networks reveals some of their apprehensions. Young graduates propose that those who retire should not be given extended contracts, especially in the public sector. They should make way for youngsters. In other sectors, such as health, medical graduates propose the introduction of shift systems and the doing away of recruiting retired doctors as bank doctors or on ‘sessional basis’, which they say will not only create more jobs, but will also reduce government expenditure on overtime payments while improving delivery of services to the public. (Editor’s note: The ministry of health has recently announced shift system in hospitals). In other sectors such as the police, graduates and HSC holders believe that administrative and management tasks should be offered to civilian staff, freeing valuable police human resources to do more value added duties such as tackling crimes. The ‘Service to Mauritius’ programme must be reviewed to enable not only young graduates, but also young executives from the private sector to undergo placements in the public sector, in order to share knowledge and skills, but also acquire new experience. Furthermore, a policy of staff rotation at regular interval is necessary at all levels in order to give a chance to many to bring their contribution at different levels. Staff rotation is also conducive to good governance, as it helps to break roots and networks and uncover any dubious practice.

Fiscal incentives

The electoral manifesto of the ‘Lepep Alliance’ states that fiscal incentives will be given to private sector enterprises that recruit graduates. These companies will then benefit from income tax deductions equivalent to twice the annual salaries of the recruits over a period of five years, provided the graduates remain in employment over this period. This measure hasn’t been implemented so far. Perhaps it will be in the next budget?

Polytechnics

The government will shortly introduce Polytechnics that will provide work-ready diploma holders of high quality to spearhead the development of the country into a knowledge-based and skills-driven country. Three campuses’ buildings currently under construction at Réduit, Montagne Blanche and Pamplemousses will house such Polytechnics.  Courses that would be offered in the Polytechnics are as follows: Réduit - Middle Management, ICT and ICT-related fields; Montagne Blanche - Tourism, and Hotel Management, including cruise tourism; and Pamplemousses - health care for nurses, technicians and trained personnel in the medical field, especially in the maintenance of sophisticated medical equipment. In addition, there will be Fast-track programmes in the first phase of the project, to be offered as follows– Réduit - Diploma in Business Information Systems, and Diploma in Internet Security; Montagne Blanche - Diploma in Events Management, and Diploma in Destination Marketing; Pamplemousses- Diploma in Public Health Education, and Diploma in Sports and Recreation. The Polytechnics will establish strategic partnerships with local industry as well as foreign leading Polytechnic systems.