The Future of Work in Africa: Implications for Secondary Education and TVET Systems

The report highlights a critical mismatch in Sub-Saharan Africa between a rapidly growing youth population and the availability of formal sector jobs. Despite increased access to education, graduates often lack the STEM skills required by employers, while the 4th Industrial Revolution disrupts traditional labor-intensive manufacturing. Projections to 2030 suggest manufacturing will only account for 6.5% of employment, with women and youth remaining highly vulnerable to informal, low-earning work.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's youngest region, with one-fifth of the global population under 25 residing there. The working age population is projected to reach 600 million by 2030, with youth comprising 37 percent of that total.
• Youth unemployment in Africa is 10.9 percent, which is approximately double the adult unemployment rate of 5.6 percent. A significant portion of the workforce—over 80 percent—operates within the informal sector, characterized by low earnings and under-employment.
• There is a growing trend of secondary and tertiary graduates remaining unemployed or working in the informal sector. In Ghana, only 10 percent of the 200,000 annual labor force entrants secure formal sector jobs. This is attributed to formal job creation failing to keep pace with graduate numbers and a skills mismatch where degrees in arts and humanities are prioritized over STEM fields demanded by employers.
• The 4th Industrial Revolution—including AI, robotics, 3-D printing, and the internet-of-things—is disrupting manufacturing technology. This challenges previous African strategies that relied on attracting labor-intensive manufacturing to leverage abundant labor.
• Employment projections to 2030 indicate that the manufacturing sector will provide only 6.5 percent of total employment across all income categories. Women are disproportionately affected by the employment crisis, with nearly 90 percent working in informal employment.

APA

Webmaster (2019). The Future of Work in Africa: Implications for Secondary Education and TVET Systems. African Center for Economic Transformation. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/the-future-of-work-in-africa-implications-for-secondary-education-and-tvet-systems/

Chicago

Webmaster. The Future of Work in Africa: Implications for Secondary Education and TVET Systems. African Center for Economic Transformation, 2019. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/the-future-of-work-in-africa-implications-for-secondary-education-and-tvet-systems/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webmaster |title=The Future of Work in Africa: Implications for Secondary Education and TVET Systems |publisher=African Center for Economic Transformation |date=18 April 2019 |url=https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/the-future-of-work-in-africa-implications-for-secondary-education-and-tvet-systems/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webmaster2019future, author = {Webmaster}, title = {{The Future of Work in Africa: Implications for Secondary Education and TVET Systems}}, institution = {African Center for Economic Transformation}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/the-future-of-work-in-africa-implications-for-secondary-education-and-tvet-systems/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }