Context: A total of 36 per cent of the Mongolian population are youth, aged 15 to 34. Youth also comprise 55 per cent of the working population. According to the Human Development Report 2016, students spend 2.6 to 3.0 years looking to secure employment in their chosen profession. Recently, a demographic window of opportunity has formed in Mongolia, and will continue for 8 to 12 years. By the calculations of demographers, Mongolia will become an ageing country by 2040. Efficiently utilizing its working-age population in the coming years will have a crucial impact on the sustainable development of Mongolia.
Implementation of programme / initiative: The aims of the programme are:
- To provide MNT 2 million (USD 820) per graduate to purchase the equipment needed to support self-employment and income generation
- For graduates, including vocational training graduates, to have the chance to participate in a business incubator
- For the “Employment Support Centre for Students” to organize a mediation event for students to find part-time work
Main challenges: The programme’s main challenges are the lack of accessible information regarding available jobs, as well as the evident gender gap in the youth labour market. Students’ inadequate professional experience and lack of appropriate qualifications also strain the programme’s application, as companies often require specific capabilities and competencies in the workplace, information on which students rarely receive from schools. Additionally, the number of available jobs is low.
Results achieved: In the first 11 months of 2016, 454 graduates received financial support of MNT 897,230,000 (USD 368,000) from district labour agencies. An additional 495 graduates joined business incubators and 49 per cent of the participating graduates were women. A total of 2,023 employers employed 8,026 students in part-time work during this time period at a cost of MNT 185,811,424 (USD 76,000).
Moving forward: The programme supports graduates of vocational training colleges and has helped many initiate their businesses. The programme will continue to support vocational education graduates in finding employment while also promoting gender sensitive labour market policies. It is recognized that the Employment Support Centre for Students needs to organize more part-time trainings as well as facilitate programmes for youth to acquire the qualifications necessary for skilled jobs. The programme also needs to strive to increase part-time job opportunities.
Replicability: The programme has funded graduates to purchase equipment to invest in their businesses and such an approach could be replicated by other governments willing to provide this type of financial incentive. When looking to replicate the programme, it would be important to effectively advertise work for students and substantially increase their knowledge of the availability and scope of job opportunities.
References
http://www.mn.undp.org/content/mongolia/en/home/library/National-Human-Development-Reports.html
Acknowledgments:
This good practice was kindly edited by Ms. Elizabeth Linklater
Project Details
Date: May 24, 2018