Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Issa Aremu, has called for deliberate and state-led efforts to create productive, secure and decent jobs in Nigeria.
Aremu said job creation should not be left to market forces, arguing that employment remains central to efforts to move Nigerians out of poverty.
“You want to get out of poverty, you need to have jobs. I think we have to be deliberate, intentional to create jobs. We can’t leave job creation to market forces to put down economics of the recent times.”
He said Nigeria’s economic recovery should be driven by job-led growth, with wage-led growth also playing a role in reducing poverty.
“I think the way out of the economic crisis we have today is to have a job-led growth, job-led growth. And if I want to add for that wage-led growth, the key out of poverty, I think also in our proverbs, you know, is work.”
Aremu said the country needed to prioritise jobs that offer workers security, decent pay and long-term benefits rather than relying on short-term employment.
“I mean, I’m not as excited as you celebrating short-term jobs. You know, I mean, there are contract jobs which lead workers, you know, back to poverty.”
He said the International Labour Organisation’s concept of decent work provides a framework for the type of employment Nigeria should pursue.
“ILO, International Labour Organisation, which is the oldest agency of the United Nations created in 1919, is very clear on the concept of decent work. Productive, secure jobs, and long-term jobs. Pensionable jobs.”
He added: “Jobs that those who work there are entitled to minimum wages, to living wages.”
Aremu said the public sector should take the lead in creating productive jobs, particularly as Nigeria seeks to expand infrastructure and improve education.
“It has to be state-led from the public sector. Because we need to, if we are going to carry out infrastructural development in these countries, we are going to reinvent education.”
He said Nigeria also needed to deliberately increase employment in productive public-sector roles.
“So we have to be deliberate to employ more hands in productive public jobs. And public sector must lead the way in that respect.”
However, Aremu said the private sector also had an important role to play in providing sustainable employment.
“Of course, that’s not to deny that really sustainable jobs must come from the private sector.”
He ultimately stressed that the quality of jobs created should remain a central consideration in Nigeria’s employment strategy.
“In summary, what I want to say here is that the real thing is productive, secure, decent work, you know, which is well paid for.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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