Many years ago, I travelled to Zambia and what I noticed intrigued me, because their economy was so different to what I was used to.

I noticed tremendous enterprise of the people in Zambia.  I met people who were fishermen and ones that made charcoal, just to name two.  The did not do these as side hustles, that were their occupations and they were proud of their jobs.  They provided valuable services and they have worked at their enterprises for many years.  To them, it was not something they did to earn a living, while being "unemployed".  I admired their pride and I, thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and visiting with them.  They proudly showed me some of their shops and introduced me to the entrepreneurs that ran them. 

Zambia is not a poor nation; they have copper mines and although there was far less wealth on display, I did not see poverty either.  When I enquired about how their economy works, I learned that only a very low percentage of the population was formally employed.  If I recall correctly, I was told that only about 4% of the population enjoyed corporate employment.  This low percentage changes the dynamic of the economy significantly and with it, people's expectation of being formally employed.   No-one can expect (or wait) to get employed, so, they look to themselves for a way to earn a living within their community or "the economy".

At present, you, as a first job seeker, must look at your options differently.  You face an economy with probably the lowest chance of employment in a very long time.  I say probably, because the statistics that I quoted, are the most recent ones available, but they do not describe the current situation. 

If you have not done so already, your best option is to qualify yourself further.  Stats SA has shown that across all age groups your chances of getting or remaining employed improves significantly with higher qualification (5). 

If you are a first-time job seeker, you have probably found several on-line portals to assist you in your quest.  Remember to also look for internships or learnerships; this way you will have to opportunity to receive training while you receive an income and even more importantly, you will have an opportunity to prove yourself as a person worth employing – most of these programmes end with on opportunity for employment.   As a job seeker, you will need to be both diligent and patient.  You may be lucky and get an offer shortly, but for many of you will take some time.  It is important to see yourself as having a job – the job of getting employed.  Do not become a "discouraged work seeker" and, therefore, not even counted as "unemployed"!

You may, however, must consider that, like those Zambian entrepreneurs that I met, your only option out of your current situation is to create your own opportunity.  Although the Government is running several programmes for job creation, it will take time – time you cannot afford.  Fortunately, they also run several programs to help entrepreneurs start their own businesses.  These programmes include education, incentives, grants, etc.  A simple web search will give you a lot of information about these schemes.

It may be time for you to start your own business!