en flag
en flag

Chapter 7 – Employment Policy

Employment policy encompasses the full range of measures implemented by the government to create jobs, expand them, protect existing ones, and reduce unemployment as much as possible. In the context of national Reconstruction, it is crucial to question the alignment between education and employment, and to open the debate on the creation of businesses, which are key generators of jobs.

Theme 1 – Matching Training with Employment

The Problem

Since colonial times, schooling has been seen more as a vehicle for social advancement than as a tool for acquiring real skills. People go to school not necessarily to learn a trade or gain expertise, but to obtain a diploma—a passport, they believe, to a civil servant job. There's a widespread (and misguided) belief that the higher the diploma, the higher one will climb in society. Any means is justified to get that piece of paper—even fraud.

In this environment, theoretical studies are the most popular: philosophy, literature, law... Even those who pursue scientific or technical disciplines often stop at theoretical knowledge. Young Cameroonians are primarily trained for bureaucratic jobs, especially those related to administrative tasks. Personal initiative and inventiveness are rarely encouraged.

Moreover, the knowledge taught to Cameroonians has often been shaped by foreign thinking, particularly from former colonial powers. This knowledge is disconnected from local realities. As a result, the average graduate in Cameroon struggles to link what they’ve learned with the reality around them.

Solutions

  • Identify the actual needs of Cameroonians and design training programs that directly tackle those problems.

  • Establish schools and training centers at all levels—primary, secondary, and higher education—that lead to real, practical jobs across all sectors (sports, culture, industry, agropastoralism, trade, etc.).

  • Make sure that every training program is justified by actual job opportunities—whether in existing businesses, the public sector, or based on real and documented societal needs.

  • Gradually phase out training programs that offer no real employment prospects.

  • Encourage a return to small trades that produce basic necessities—blacksmithing, pottery, weaving—as well as services like carpentry, furniture making, and household repairs.

Theme 2 – Business Creation and Job Creation

The Problem

Every year, a large number of young people graduate from training programs, only to find themselves without jobs that match their skills. All eyes turn to the civil service—which unfortunately cannot absorb everyone. For decades, state policy has turned the civil service into the near-exclusive employer in Cameroon.

Even those who manage to self-employ in the so-called “informal sector” still dream of one day becoming civil servants. Why? Because, for now, the most materially wealthy citizens tend to work in the public sector—thanks to widespread corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

But in a functional society, the civil service should be just one employer among many.

Solutions

In a healthy economy, jobs and wealth are primarily created and distributed through private businesses. Cameroonians—especially jobseekers dreaming of prosperity—must be encouraged to turn toward the private sector. Solving unemployment requires a thriving private sector, and that’s why the UNIVERS Party intends to implement policies that support Cameroonians in launching their own businesses.

Measure 1 – Supporting Private Business Creation

1° – Job Creation by Young Graduates

The UNIVERS Party will encourage young graduates from elite institutions to group together and create businesses—either civil or commercial. To financially support them, the state will establish a startup support fund offering loans to help launch these enterprises.

Experts will be made available to guide these young entrepreneurs in the design, launch, and early operations of their companies. These youth-led enterprises will benefit from tax exemptions for a period necessary to ensure their stability and growth.

2° – Job Creation by Early Retirees from Civil Service

Civil servants who opt for early retirement will be encouraged to create private businesses that generate jobs. At the same time, they free up valuable positions in the public service—jobs that can then be filled by young people entering the workforce for the first time.

Measure 2 – Businesses Created by the State, Handed Over to Citizens

After Independence, the Cameroonian state embarked on a vast initiative to create commercial and industrial enterprises as a foundation for nation-building. Unfortunately, poor management led many of these ventures to fail.

This state-led enterprise creation policy will be revived under the UNIVERS Party—backed by broader strategic reforms. The aim is for the state to launch businesses with the goal of transferring ownership to private Cameroonians in the short or medium term, once the enterprises are stable.

Examples include:

  • Large-scale agro-pastoral projects in rural areas.

  • Mining companies tapping into Cameroon’s rich subsoil.

  • Public transport companies that would eventually phase out the dangerous motorcycle taxi sector, providing safer jobs for youth and more secure transport for citizens.

Measure 3 – Job Protection

The Problem

When someone has a job, their livelihood—and that of their family—depends on their wages. The threat of losing a job is already stressful; it’s even worse when that job can be taken away on a whim.

Before 1992, workers were protected by strong labor laws. Employers couldn’t fire staff arbitrarily without risking heavy penalties. These rules deterred abuse. But business owners lobbied the government, claiming that legal decisions protecting employees were pushing companies into bankruptcy. The government was asked to choose between protecting businesses or workers. Sadly, it chose to protect businesses.

This shift came through the 1992 labor reform, which stripped away critical worker protections. Now, if a firing is deemed abusive, the judge can only award compensation if the employee has worked for more than two years—and even then, the maximum compensation is just one month’s salary per year of service.

Imagine someone earning 100,000 CFA per month. If they are fired unfairly after 15 years of service, they would receive only 1.5 million CFA in compensation—a pittance. This legal cap has left workers vulnerable. Employers can now fire staff impulsively with little financial risk.

Some employers exploit this further. They hire young people, then dismiss them just before the two-year mark to avoid paying compensation. The law has become a tool for exploitation.

The Solution

The UNIVERS Party proposes a complete revision of the Labor Code. It’s unthinkable that a labor law written in 1992—based on the economic and social realities of that time—should still be in force today.

A national dialogue must be opened between employers and labor unions to find fair ways to protect workers without endangering job-creating businesses.