The South Sudanese youth have been challenged to embrace the informal jobs churned in the private sectors rather than eyeing the white collar jobs that may otherwise pay inadequately.

The Minister of Information and Telecommunication Michael Makuei, who doubles as  state spokesperson, said majority of the young people in the country despise manual jobs and direct their focus on living large beyond their means.

“… our people all do expect white collar jobs. And at present if you want money, don’t look for a white collar job,’’ he said.

“Don’t look for government’s institutions to employ you because the money you will be getting in the market, doing your manual work will be more than any other person, even better than me.”

He encouraged young people to come out of the comfort zone and set up business ventures in the private sectors. He accused them of relinquishing the sector to foreigners as he bashed them for ‘taking tea’ under trees while pretending to be looking for jobs.

 “It is the foreigners who are doing it all because they have come here to work and make money and they are making money. They are building Uganda and Kenya now and the money being used in building Uganda and Kenya are our money,” he remarked.

Comfort zone

Makuei called on the youth to change their attitude saying salaries per month in government’s institution was too little than what manual workers earn just in a day.

“Whoever you go and [find] in the night clubs by night, are [they not]working in the private sectors?,” he posed.

“But our youth are saying, yes, we are educated, we don’t want to work, this work is dirty.  Okay, continue to do that work up to when you are in the position to get an employment with the government.’’

Some youth have however, disagreed with Makuei statement saying the government was not doing enough to solve unemployment problem in the country.

A 24-year-old South Sudanese graduate of Information, Technology and Communication—who sought anonymity— said government should build youth capacity to compete for scarce jobs in private sectors.

“The youth struggle for survival in the country. The so called construction works even require skills. We do not have vocational training centres so what can we do?  Foreigners have right because they have those skills,” he said.

The same sentiments were shared by Shadia Jackeline, 26, who said: “Youth are not lazy. They are working but they need work that sustains them that is why they go around looking for one.”