After graduating from the University of Malawi (UNIMA) with a diploma in human resource management three years ago, 25-year-old Tereza Phambala thought she would easily find a stable job. However, things turned out differently.

Phambala first failed to make it through the first job interview in 2022 and has remained unsuccessful since.

“I have sent countless letters applying for jobs. In 2022, I attended three interviews in both the civil service and the private sector, but nothing tangible came out,” she says.

In May this year, the Ministry of Health advertised vacancies for Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) posts, targeting Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) applicants.

Phambala—who passed MSCE with 22 points, saw this as her last-ditch attempt to enter the civil service.

Despite having a higher qualification, On May 31, 2025, Phambala joined thousands of job seekers who thronged Zomba Stadium for the walk-in interviews.

“There were large crowds, and it was difficult just to enter the stadium,” she says.

Despite enduring the hot sun the whole day, Phambala has not heard anything about the outcome of the interviews.

Phambala has been working at her parents’ retail shop in Jali Trading Centre, on the outskirts of Zomba City.

“I open the shop in the morning, make sales and close at night,” she says. “My parents don’t pay me a salary, but I cannot complain because they are the ones providing me with free food and housing.”

Phambala’s story is not unique. 32-year-old Doris Maliza, who holds an MSCE certificate, does piecework of selling kachasu at Thyolo Boma.

Maliza earns about K2,000 a day, which she uses to support herself and her two children.

“Life has been very difficult due to lack of stable job,” she says. The money I make is not enough to meet my daily basic needs.”

Maliza adds that she constantly faces sexual harassment from imbibers.

“On several occasions, male customers call me a sex worker and some make sexual advances at me but I don’t give in to their flirts,” she narrates.

42 kilometres away from Thyolo in Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial city, 24-year-old Stephano Douglas, a resident of Soche Township, has been doing piecework, including carrying goods and washing dishes in restaurants for two years.

On days when he gets piecework, Douglas, earns at least K2,000, which does not meet his family’s basic needs.

Douglas, who holds an MSCE certificate, says he has been applying for stable jobs but has not been able to find formal employment.

He says he normally finds it difficult to settle his monthly rentals.

The only consolation for Phambala, Maliza and Douglas is that they are not alone in their struggle to find formal employment.

Regional data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that sub-Saharan Africa had an average youth unemployment rate of 8.9 percent in 2024.

According to the 2024 Labour Force Survey, conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the unemployment rate in Malawi stands at 19.7 percent, with the labour force comprising 5.3 million people out of the working age population of 11 million.

The survey also shows that 21.6 percent of youth aged 15 to 35 are unemployed, while 41.4 percent are not in employment, education, or training (NEET).

NSO Commissioner of Statistics Shelton Kanyanda says the findings underscore Malawi’s struggle to create enough decent jobs for its fast-growing youth population.

He stresses the need for increased investment in education and skills development to help young people—especially women and those in rural areas—secure meaningful employment.

He calls on the government, development partners, and the private sector to enhance efforts aimed at empowering the youth and addressing barriers that limit their participation in the labour market.

Youth rights activist, Yewo Gondwe, says the government is not utilizing the majority of young people who are facing unemployment.

“The government needs to do more,” she says.

Gondwe says there is a need for more investment in the agro-based enterprises to support young people and help them create employment opportunities for others.

“For instance, it’s sad that until today majority smallholder farmers are still using hoes. The country cannot register economic growth that way,” she says.

Gondwe adds that the time has come for the country to embrace agricultural technologies by supporting young farmers with machinery and irrigation equipment.

“There’s a need to invest more in the sector and make sure we are using up-to-date technology while supporting young farmers,” she says.

Women’s rights activist Jenipher Mkandawire says many young people are finding it hard to secure formal employment due to limited opportunities.

“As a country, we are not productive enough in terms of creating jobs,” she says.

Mkandawire adds that the high prevalence of informal-sector jobs pushes youth and women into harsh working conditions.

She notes that women are often confined to domestic roles and have lower access to education and training, which reduces their chances of entering the formal sector.

She stresses the need for government and the private sector to enhance deliberate policies aimed at creating more employment opportunities.

Social and economic analyst Milward Tobias attributes the high youth unemployment rate to weak economic growth over the past five years.

“Public debt has risen exponentially following wide budget deficits, coupled with a weakening exchange rate and high interest rates. Inflation is high, and foreign exchange reserves are low, resulting in a weak exchange rate and disruptions to businesses,” Tobias says.

He adds that these factors have led to a shrinking space for job creation, a hostile environment for doing business, and a high cost of living.

Tobias warns that having a large section of the labour force unemployed while facing a high cost of living is a recipe for a miserable society.

Speaking recently in Nsanje, Deputy Minister of Education Francis Foley expressed the need for learners to start acquiring practical skills right from primary school—a move he believes will help reduce the high unemployment rate in the country.

He said once the new approach is implemented, in the next five to ten years most learners will complete school with valuable skills they can use for their own benefit, including creating jobs for others.

Delivering a Ministerial Statement in Parliament, Minister of Youth, Patricia Wiskes acknowledged that Malawi’s youth remain central to the country’s socio-economic future but face growing obstacles.

She announced that the government has hired a consultant to develop the National Youth Service Bill.

“This Bill will lay the foundation for a Youth Fund and improve coordination of youth programmes. lt represents a structured pathway for long-term empowerment,” Wiskes said.

Wiskes also said the government will prioritise training youths in technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills through technical colleges.

The Minister said government will also implement initiatives to empower young people through accessible loan support.

Sustainable Development Goal 8 recognises youth employment as a critical driver of sustainable development. It calls for development-oriented policies that promote productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The goal also urges nations to support the formalisation and growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including through increased access to financial services.

Until Malawi achieves these targets, Phambala, Maliza and Douglas will continue to grapple with the lack of formal employment.