Perspective Chapter: Youth Skills and Unemployment - Perceived Inadequate Soft Skills and Coping Strategies of Employers in Tanzania

Abstract

The need to equip the workforce with the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to enhance employability and economic development at large has gained momentum, particularly in the developing world. Tanzania has introduced various initiatives to ensure that its workforce is furnished with quality KSAs. Unfortunately, the problem of skills mismatch in Tanzania lingers, particularly that involving soft skills. It is in this context that this study examines soft skills that are inadequate in Tanzania and the preferred coping mechanisms by employers. Using a questionnaire survey, this study reveals that soft skills lacking among graduates in Tanzania include teamwork, communication skills, and language proficiency. Failure to transfer soft skills is attributed to the use of English as a medium of instruction, inadequate number of instructors, lack of competent instructors, lack of training facilities, and the use of outdated facilities. Findings reveal that employers in Tanzania opt to re-train and prolong the probation period for new employees as a coping mechanism. Thus, we first recommend that the government should adopt the education-employment linkage framework in designing, delivering, and updating the curriculum. Moreover, because the preferred coping mechanisms add costs to employers, we recommend that the government either reduce the skills development levy and/or reward employers who do so.