In the media
STV interviews Ricardo Santos and Assa Guambe on results of recent IGM report

On 1 July 2021, Ricardo Santos, UNU-WIDER Research Fellow and IGM Resident Advisor, and Assa Guambe, National Director of the Labour Market Observatory (DNOMT) of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MITSS), were interviewed on STV on the results of a recent study on the school-to-work transition of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in Mozambique.

The study, launched a week earlier by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, was produced under the Inclusive growth in Mozambique (IGM) programme in collaboration with DNOMT-MITSS and with the support of the Secretary of State for Youth and Employment (SEJE), and the National Vocational Education Authority (ANEP).

The study shows that TVET students in Mozambique face significant challenges in their entry into the labour market. After 12 months, only 9% had found permanent work and 26% remained unemployed. Most of those who had found a job (80%) were working with relatively low pay and with precarious conditions (e.g., without a written contract). The study further shows that informal channels are the most effective in finding work and that women face more challenges than men in their entry into the world of work.

The discussion, broadcasted live on STV’s Manhã Informativo programme, focused on the challenges highlighted by the report and factors behind them. When asked about possible solutions, Ricardo Santos mentioned increasing access to information on job and internship opportunities, and increased interface between schools and local employers as being among the key ones. In her turn, Assa Guambe stressed the key role of better labour market information and the initiatives already put in place to improve access to it. The DNOMT National Director also stressed the need to better understand labour demand from the firm side, regarding both skills needs and drivers for labour-generating activity growth, to support more informed decision-making.