Unemployment has turned into an international issue that has yet to be addressed. The number of global unemployed is expected to hit a record 200 million in 2013, according to a news report by UN jobs watchdog the International Labor Organization. The International Labor Organization (IBL) report, released Tuesday, has made the same dire warning of increased unemployment for the past six years, and 2012 was no different: the number of jobless rose by 4.2 million. 

Afghanistan stands among the poorest countries of world with more than 60 percent of its population living below the line of poverty. The three decades of war have left economic infrastructures completely destructed and rearward. There has been a dramatic growth in the number of unemployed individuals in the country. The number is expected to further increase. Based on the data from Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) the number of unemployed people is over 800,000 in the country. Unofficial figures put the number of people with no employment at over a million. A big portion of that figure is formed by youths. The economy of Afghanistan is not creating adequate job opportunities to address the growing needs of masses.

Unemployment is a serious problem that has led to grave poverty. Many people are eager to find jobs support for themselves as well as their families but there are not enough jobs for everyone. As a result the problem of unemployment is seen at every level. Lack of job opportunities has brought depression and hopelessness among our youth.

It has made them go astray which creates many other problems like drug addiction, identity crises, terrorism etc. There are many reasons for the problem of unemployment in our country. One of them is the slow growth of our economy, in relation to increase in the number of educated persons. When an economy is growing, there are plenty of jobs for everyone. It is believed that unemployment is the mother of all causes of the insurgency in the country. There are several instances reported by the news media about young unemployed Afghan men joining the Taliban. There is a strong correlation between large numbers of unemployed cohorts and political violence. When young people – particularly young men – are uprooted, jobless, intolerant, alienated, and have few opportunities for positive engagement, they represent a ready pool of recruits for groups seeking to mobilize violence such as the Taliban. 

No significant progress has been made albeit there have been international efforts to make Afghanistan’s economy stand on its own, improve the living standard of people and create more job opportunities. The reason behind the failure to strengthen the backbone of Afghan economy is the severe security problems and deep-rooted corruption. The condition deteriorates with each passing year while to counter the present administration has completely failed being itself engaged in corruption. As the problem of security and corruption persist, there seems to be very few people thinking about bringing prosperity in the life of a common man.

It is the responsibility of the government to provide jobs for all those who are able to work. It has to start schemes that could educate labors with required skills, an initiative enabling them to earn their livings. Interest-free loans should be given to encourage self employment and small scale industries.

The problem of unemployment means the problem of providing work to those who are willing to work. A large number of educated and uneducated people, who are capable of work and are also willing to do it, roam here and there without any job. So the problem has assumed an acute form. There are a large number of people who are either partly employed or wholly unemployed. The lives of such people, as well as of their families, are extremely miserable.

The minimally educated and professionally unskilled people looking for minor jobs but still fail to find a minor job due to endemic cloud of uncertainty and joblessness. Education is often not aimed at providing people with vocational skills. The present bookish education which produces clerks alone should be restricted. So their scope for employment remains limited. Consequently, more stress should be laid on technical and vocational education. When people get technical and vocational education, they will not hanker after services on completing their education, they will come out well prepared to stand on their own. They will choose a profession in accordance with their capability and aptitude. The problem will be half-solved, if this suggestion is implemented. At the same time, the growth of mechanization and more sophisticated machinery is important for the development of industry.

The problem of unemployment is mainly an economic one. Despite the economic growth and a little development made is not enough to generate sufficient number of jobs. It is essential, therefore, that the economic policy of the country be overhauled. In our country, labor is available in abundance. We should provide avenues of employment for them through cottage and small-scale industries. Afghanistan, in the last more than ten years, has had little development in creating job opportunities for its masses. Employment could only increase if our government had been able to efficiently utilize the labor force of this country for reviving our agricultural, industrial and other important sectors. Afghan laborers are engaged in various forms of work ranging from industrial and agricultural to construction and mining in different countries of the world, especially in Iran and Pakistan. They are to be repatriated with bunch of opportunities in their own land.

Another factor that has led to unemployment is the growth in population. It is also necessary to check the rapid growth of our population. There must be a policy on family planning in this regard. After population is controlled, we can easily overcome the problem of unemployment. A rational balance must be maintained between resources and population. Hence, it is necessary to bring awareness among the common masses regarding family planning.

We cannot advance economically, politically, or socially, unless this problem is solved. Many of social evils spread through unemployment. Frustration, drug-addiction, unrest and disorder even suicides are, by and large, the evil results of unemployment. It is, therefore, the duty of the government to make every possible effort to solve this problem. Although it is difficult to address social and economic issues without bringing the security condition under thumb, the government needs to address the problem of employment within the means available to it. Let us avert the design that “to earn is not to suffer”.