Lower Retirement Age To Tackle Youth Unemployment: Students
Published: 2016 June 06 08:51:33 (4741 Views)
THE Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (Zinasu) has called on government to lower the retirement age for civil servants from 65 to 45 years to tackle youth unemployment.
In a statement, Zinasu spokesperson, Zivai Mhetu said given the extremely high level of unemployment prevailing in the country, which is affecting youths more than any other demographic group, government should reduce the retirement age to all ministries, parastatals and other institutions in order to free up jobs for youths.
“The government is the biggest employer in the country, with a civil service consisting of more than 350 000 employees. If the government reduced the retirement age from 65 to 45, it will be able to free up thousands of jobs for the youth,” Mhetu said.
“Of course, there is also the issue of ghost workers, particularly those in the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, which needs to be dealt with in order to create jobs for youths, but the reduction of the retirement age is also an important measure that the government needs to consider if it is serious about addressing youth unemployment.
“I know reducing the retirement age to 45 years seems a bit extreme, but drastic times call for drastic measures.”
The students’ body said the reduction of the retirement age to 45 years as a measure to improve the economic status of youth by retiring older generations, who have already managed to acquire basic assets fits, in well among the cocktail of redistributive policies currently being implemented by the government.
Mhetu said the swelling number of unemployed youths was a national security threat.
The Ministry of Defence and the Defence Forces Commission recently recommended an amendment to the Defence Act, which will now see soldiers retiring at the age of 50, down from the previous 60, unless if one has been asked to continue serving at the recommendation of the Defence minister.
According to the National Vendors’ Union of Zimbabwe (Navuz), there are more than six million vendors countrywide, many of whom are youths with degrees or other tertiary education qualifications.
- News Day
In a statement, Zinasu spokesperson, Zivai Mhetu said given the extremely high level of unemployment prevailing in the country, which is affecting youths more than any other demographic group, government should reduce the retirement age to all ministries, parastatals and other institutions in order to free up jobs for youths.
“The government is the biggest employer in the country, with a civil service consisting of more than 350 000 employees. If the government reduced the retirement age from 65 to 45, it will be able to free up thousands of jobs for the youth,” Mhetu said.
“Of course, there is also the issue of ghost workers, particularly those in the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, which needs to be dealt with in order to create jobs for youths, but the reduction of the retirement age is also an important measure that the government needs to consider if it is serious about addressing youth unemployment.
“I know reducing the retirement age to 45 years seems a bit extreme, but drastic times call for drastic measures.”
The students’ body said the reduction of the retirement age to 45 years as a measure to improve the economic status of youth by retiring older generations, who have already managed to acquire basic assets fits, in well among the cocktail of redistributive policies currently being implemented by the government.
Mhetu said the swelling number of unemployed youths was a national security threat.
The Ministry of Defence and the Defence Forces Commission recently recommended an amendment to the Defence Act, which will now see soldiers retiring at the age of 50, down from the previous 60, unless if one has been asked to continue serving at the recommendation of the Defence minister.
According to the National Vendors’ Union of Zimbabwe (Navuz), there are more than six million vendors countrywide, many of whom are youths with degrees or other tertiary education qualifications.
- News Day
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