Youth perceptions of their future critical

When our young people express dissatisfaction with life in Barbados and their prospects for a fulfilling future, they need to be taken seriously.

It is easy to dismiss the concerns of young people as youthful dissonance with mainstream thinking of how society should be ordered.

In its most recent review of the economy, the Central Bank of Barbados reported the economy grew by 4.5 per cent, which represents a significant increase given the traditional low rates of growth that the island has recorded.

The growth, the bank outlined, was buttressed by increases in production and a record employment level in the first six months of the year.

“This was the largest first-half tourism performance that we have on record. The sector grew by 18 per cent. All markets performed strongly,” Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge stated.

Looking ahead, the country’s lead economist projected four per cent growth for the full year, as he cited strong hotel forward bookings, increased airlift capacity, and robust cruise ship performance.

So why is there a seeming disconnect between the good economic news from government and how so many young people feel about  their future?

In the absence of empirical statistics, there is enough anecdotal information to believe that there is an exodus of young talent from Barbados to North America and Europe, where they believe the chances of achieving prosperity are greater.

A 2020 International Labour Organisation and Ministry of Labour and Social Partnership Relations report published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) offered an interesting perspective.

It revealed that in 2016 (the last official poverty figures provided to the public), over 30 per cent of young people were living in poverty.  This poverty rate was significantly higher than that for the older population, which stood at 21 per cent.

Moreover, poverty rates increased for all age groups between 2010 and 2016.  On closer examination, it was found that young people account for one quarter of the poor population in Barbados, which was slightly lower than in 2010 due to changes in the demographic structure.

The UNICEF publication provided other nuggets of information that may provide the subtext to partially explain why some young people are choosing to leave the island, while a growing number are indulging in anti-social behaviour including crime or may display negative attitudes on the job.

“The number of poor young people increased from 15,000 to 17,000, but the number of severely poor young people decreased by almost two thirds from 7,700 to 2,800,” the document outlined.

Skipping school and lack of parental engagement were also identified as increasing the risk of delinquent behaviour. Sadly, it added, “Two thirds of marijuana addicts had first used the drug when they were at secondary school.”

While we certainly do not want to cast most young Barbadians with the label of defeatism or that they are not resilient enough to overcome challenges, the trends suggest that greater attention must be paid to how young people feel about their future in this country.

Too many of the current employment practices are discouraging for young people and are forcing older Barbadians to demit the job market at the earliest opportunity.

We speak, for example, about the introduction of practices that were previously foreign to the local market. These include a shift towards short-term contractual arrangements that rob employees of benefits such as severance payments as this compensation is only enforced if a person is employed consistently in full-time work for two or more years.

Workers in the tourism and hospitality sector are often denied the chance to enjoy the stability of employment that has been a reasonable expectation of most workers.

What is occurring in the local job market with greater frequency is work arrangements that will make it extremely difficult for today’s young adults to achieve the goals of home ownership and financial stability that their parents have attained.

While it is true that many young people are not prepared to stay in one job for the rest of their lives, the growing trends in the public and private sectors of short-term contracts, and zero-hour contracts, leave workers at the whims and fancies of employers with very little protection.

With hundreds of workers losing their jobs in the hospitality sector – one of the leading employment options for young workers at the lower level, one is forced to ask, how does all this impact on young people’s perceptions of their future.