Job Security In Nigeria- Job security according to the Business Dictionary (online) is “Assurance (or lack of it) that an employee has about the continuity of gainful employment for his or her work life.
In other words, for a person to stake a claim to having job security. Such a person is assured of gaining meaningful and gainful employment for as long as he /she remains within the age bracket of the society work force , and as long as he/she chooses to work.
The Collins Dictionary, however takes a slightly different perspective. Job security as it has it, is the “assurance that you will be able to work in your job as long as you please and will not your job as long as you please and will not become unemployed”.
Although this latter definition adds a piece more than the former, they nonetheless agree on the guarantee of no unemployment. From the above definitions, therefore, we could make two statements about the
meaning of job security.
That job security is a guarantee that there will always be an opportunity within an economy / Society for meaning employment. That it is the assurance that as long as one continues to discharge his/her designated duties in the workplace, he/she is guaranteed to retain the job.
The above show the multidimensional nature of the term. On the one hand, it is a societal thing. On the other hand, it is about a specific work place or establishment.
As such, we could agree that a society has the responsibility or the attribute of ensuring job security, just as the establishment within it.
Nigeria is not the most prominent society when the issue of job security is discussed, but make it job insecurity, and the name Nigeria resounds all the way to the top. In other words, Job security in Nigeria is almost inexistent. Why?
There could be a couple of related reasons for this: The government’s inability to provide employment for the majority of its youthful population Majority of the population lacking necessary skills required in the integral sectors The first case – the issues of unemployment, has been the most damaging .
The high unemployment rate in the country arising from lack of job opportunities is a dent on Nigeria’s economic posture. Nigeria as a society cannot employ her people and this leads to another issue the enslavement and insecurity of workers in the private sector.
The fact that there are not much opportunities out there makes many workers to accept the terrible conditions under which they are made to work. This is because they know they have not much choice and the employers know this and they take advantage. Every little mistake made the threat of sack comes up.
This has been very damaging. It has led to the abuse of workers without consequence all because they do not want to lose their jobs. The second case only applies in special situation, but it matters nonetheless.
Majority of school leavers are tagged ‘unemployable’ in Nigeria. For the employers, they do not possess the required skills.
This is partly the reason for the unemployment of many and their job in security. For instance, a girl got employed as a secretary in a law firm which hardly had much to do. When the job intensity increased, it became obvious she was too tender footed in the use of computer.
Even before getting sarked, she had already written off herself. She could never feel secure in her workplace and in less than no time, she handed in her resignation.
Job security in Nigeria has become a serious issue in Nigeria, one that requires robust policies and actions. This leads to the essence of the write up; how could job security be improved in Nigeria?
First, the government has to open up the economy just about enough to make it easy for people to start their business and succeed. Provision of electricity, grants availability, and low taxations would be a good place to start.
But would this affect job security? When the private sector of a given society is robust enough to accommodate and ensure profitability of almost any sort of business, such a society definitely sees less dependence of people on government or salary – paying jobs.
The effect of this is a competitive economy with so many business firms capable of employing as well as an array of opportunities for personal startups.
This makes employers to value their human capital because they know it is easier for their capable employees to find employment elsewhere than for them to find capable replacement without upsetting their organizational balance.
Second, the legislature should look more into the corporate law sector. They should make laws that grants more rights to workers as against what is obtainable in most establishments in which employees get fired at will even after being owed for months, and yet, with no consequences.
Third, Nigerian youths should give these employers the benefit of the doubt by doing more to develop themselves and hone their skills so that the issue of employability would no longer be tenable, and they themselves, would be more confident to apply for positions knowing they have the required know-how to function there.
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