Friday news roundup November 30, 2018
Four out of ten Nigerians are either unemployed or underemployed. In the third quarter of 2017, the unemployment rate was 18.8% and the underemployment rate was 21.2%. The National Bureau of Statistics has not published any new jobs data since. The unemployment crisis has seen the promise of more jobs become a dominant discussion point in the Nigerian presidential election. Several international banks, including HSBC and UBS, have recently exited Nigeria, with analysts thinking their departure is due to falling investor confidence. Cheta Nwanze, head of research at SBM Intelligence in Lagos said: “Nigeria’s unemployment level is beyond crisis levels, and ought to be the government’s top concern as it has social implications.”
An internal investigation at the African Union Commission, headquartered in Addis Ababa, found that sexual harassment is a major problem for women who work there. The inquiry was launched in May following AUC Chairperson, Moussa Faki, receiving an anonymous letter reporting the abuse. The committee found 44 cases of alleged sexual harassment and that young women were being “exploited for sex in exchange for jobs.” The AUC does not have a sexual harassment policy, something which the committee is now resolved to rectify. Alongside sexual harassment, the committee found incidents of bribery, corruption, bullying, discrimination, and intimidation.
Thousands of farmers, landless laborers, and artisans will march in New Delhi today, asking legislators to address many challenges facing the Indian agrarian sector. They are calling for two new bills to be passed; one for debt relief and the other to secure minimum prices for their crops. Many have been traveling since Wednesday to get to the capital for the two-day march. The protesters are frustrated with the policies of the Modi administration, particularly demonetization, which saw notes of 500 rupees and 1000 rupees declared null and void. Alongside this, the suicide rate among farmers increased by 42% during the first two years of the Modi administration.
The fragmentation of Germany’s education system may pose an obstacle to the planned rollout of essential new digital training. The country’s schooling is state-controlled rather than by the central government. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said the government will invest €5 billion ($5.7 billion) in new technology in schools. However, 40,000 schools are still waiting for their promised Wi-Fi and laptops. One of the aims of installing new technology is to boost social mobility, as digital resources can support teachers and allow them to provide more attention to children most in need. “It spares teachers part of the routine of purely conveying knowledge because pupils can obtain that digitally,” said Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD.
Read more from IZA World of Labor on workplace discrimination, education and labor policy, and fighting long term unemployment.