Youth in Lesotho: jobs scarcity fuels emigration fears

Nearly half of Lesotho’s youth say they have considered leaving the country, with unemployment topping their concerns, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey released on Friday.
The report shows that the number of young Basotho contemplating emigration has surged from 27 percent in 2017 to 48 percent this year.
The overwhelming majority cite the search for job opportunities as the driving factor.
Afrobarometer’s findings paint a grim picture of how young people perceive the country’s trajectory. Most say Lesotho is heading in the wrong direction, with large majorities describing both the national economy and their personal living conditions as ‘poor’.
Although many young Basotho remain cautiously hopeful that circumstances will improve in the near future, frustration over unemployment runs deep. While today’s youth are more educated than their elders, they are disproportionately affected by joblessness.
“Young people say the biggest barriers to employment include lack of work experience, inadequate training, and limited interest in certain job sectors,” the report notes.
The survey further highlights deep dissatisfaction with government performance, with most respondents saying authorities have failed to address job creation, which is the single most pressing issue confronting the nation’s youth.