Author: The PNG Recruiter

On Tuesday, the 25th of October 2022, while scrolling down on my mobile’s Facebook app that evening, I found a link to a report whose title caught my attention. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Reporter Kyle Evans’ report focused on Papua New Guinea’s “unemployment crisis.” The report’s title read, “PNG’s unemployment crisis pushing young people to breaking point.”

To summaries the report’s specifics, Kyle first interviews Bernard Kakori, an Economics Degree Holder who has been searching for employment in Port Moresby for over two and a half years and has sent over 100 applications but interviewed three times only, all of which he was unsuccessful. He knows others in similar situations who resort to crime to get by in the city. 

He also mentions that bribery is common among potential employers in exchange for jobs. With the added pressure of meeting family expectations back home and the financial burden of supporting him with his job search, Bernard races against time to find employment.

Interviewed next was Julian Melpa. She is a research intern at the PNG National Research Institute (NRI). She released a research paper related to the same issue of youth unemployment in the country titled “Spotlight Volume 15, Issue 13: Factors that restrict the availability of job opportunities for the youth in Papua New Guinea“. I then came across some startling statistics. Julian mentions that “after surveying people living in Morata, Port Moresby, she found that 32 percent (n=103) of the urban youths out of 318 respondents are employed.

Furthermore, 68 percent (n=215) are unemployed while only 12 percent used (n=14) are engaged in formal jobs and 86 percent (n=89) are in the informal sectors respectively. It clearly shows that only a few youths in PNG are involved in formal employment while the majority are unemployed.” (Melpa, 2022)

And to finish the report, the President of the Port Moresby Young Chamber of Commerce, Natasha Austin, says that a contributing factor was that undergraduates lacked basic skills when entering the workplace due to a “gap between the industry and institutions,” which is demotivating managers to hire graduates.

I’ve been working in the recruitment industry for seven years and am familiar with all the issues and possible resolutions raised in the report. They are the primary motivators for me to start this blog, as its goal is to Empower Papua New Guineans with information to win in the job-seeking world.

Also, as a Recruitment professional, I’m used to seeing opportunities in the jobs market for graduates go unnoticed. I’m constantly left disappointed by this as they become too prevalent. It’s not always the Government or Educational Institution’s fault, but it equally is the job seekers as well. That will be my point of view on this subject.

With that, here are three factors I believe are causing these perceived high levels of youth unemployment in PNG, along with three quick and simple resolutions a recent grad needs to incorporate in their job-seeking process to fight unemployment:

1. Lack of drive and persistence in pursuing jobs with a holistic approach

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is a proverb I think of every time I see someone complain about a lack of job opportunities on LinkedIn or Facebook. The saying means “to not risk everything on one venture.” Many people have risked everything for one job opportunity, probably because it’s their dream job or because they think they’re entitled to it. What happens when someone does this? They start feeling impatient and frustrated when awaiting feedback; they’re “ghosted” after applying for a job or unsuccessful in getting a role. This feeling builds negativity in themselves towards the system and the world, hence the various complaints about the lack of job opportunities in PNG.

The best thing to do before getting into this ugly, wasteful position is to constantly apply for multiple roles that suit your qualifications and experience. It may be tiresome or consume money to do this daily, but hey, if you can habitually pay for betel nuts, cigarettes, or Mobile Phone credits, there is no reason to be demotivated towards spending money towards finding a job, is there? So, you must have the drive and persistence to pursue employment in a holistic approach by applying to jobs every day via whatever platform. I guarantee you will get some good results.

2. Lack of knowledge on tailoring applications to be screened efficiently by Recruiters

A stage of the Recruitment Process is creating a pool of strong candidates that match the requirements of a vacancy recently advertised from all the applications received in response to it. A longlist has to be submitted to the supervisors or hiring managers to approve the shortlist of candidates to interview. Recruiters need to complete this as soon as possible. The longer the vacancy stays open, the more issues it creates in the organization, as there needs to be someone competent in the role to offset its responsibilities, which can contribute to a delay in achieving company goals and targets.

And one of the typical delays in this stage of the recruitment process is when recruiters review disorganized CVs, which consumes the recruiter’s time in reviewing. For a list of the ten most common CV mistakes to avoid, click on the link HERE to have a read.

So what’s the solution to this? There is so much information on the internet; all one has to do is research. You can start by asking employed friends or relatives to give you a copy of their CV and format yours according to theirs. So there’s no harm in copying their CV format. After all, they did get their current job with that CV. Or search for information on the internet. The world’s most extensive library is in the palm of our hands, in the form of a mobile phone, so we should start using it effectively if we are serious about getting employed.

What about Cover Letters? The purpose of the Cover Letter is for one to match their experience with the requirements & responsibilities of the vacancy. If you can complement between 95 – 100 % of the requirements/responsibilities of the vacancy with your qualifications and experience, you have a great chance of being called in for an interview. What happens if you can’t? That would mean you are not suitable for the vacancy or have failed to display the experience and qualifications you possess to match the vacancy’s requirements in your Cover Letter. I’ve seen this countless times, and it always disappoints me as competent people for vacancies sell themselves short in the recruitment process. 

And what about Support Documents? The best way to send them is by merging them into one PDF document (the best form to keep your CV + Support Documents in). Also, this allows for quick referencing when matching the info stated in your CV with the support documents. Avoid sending copies of your support documents separately/one by one or by taking pictures of them. It gives the impression of being disorganized or unprepared; someone, the organization, wants to avoid hiring. And where can you merge PDF documents? Online, of course. There are many sites where you can merge all your PDF documents into whatever arrangement is best for you. Just type into the Google search engine “Merge PDF Documents online,” and it will give you an array of sites where you can upload, merge and download your documents.

Knowledge on the best way of presenting your application in a well-organized manner is all on the internet and with your friends & family who have jobs. A well-organized and structured application allows recruiters to select suitable candidates to be interviewed, allowing for timely feedback to be given to all stakeholders and for the right candidate to be chosen for the vacancy.

3. Lack of motivation to take alternative career paths where qualifications can be applicable in

What jobs can someone have with a Diploma or a Degree in Accounting? You’re probably thinking of job titles like Accountant, Accounts Officer, Accounts Payable Officer, Accounts Receivable Officer, etc. That’s it? Wrong. People with these qualifications as Bank Tellers, Customer Care Agents, Warehouse Assistants, Fuel Pump Attendants, etc.

The above is an example of the various career paths one can take regardless of qualification. One of the main reasons it takes time for recent graduates to get employed is that they’re applying for jobs according to their studies. That is understandable, as their teachers/lecturers taught them this. But it then causes new grads to be unemployed for years due to this mindset, as most of those jobs are still occupied or require experienced personnel to fill them. So what measures should a Certificate/Diploma/Degree Holder take to give themselves a chance at being employed ASAP?

The key is to never have preferences for specific jobs when starting your journey to obtaining employment, especially when you have no work experience. It would be best if you got any position to build your experience at this stage, as all jobs these days require candidates to have a certain amount of experience. Just take the job, whether it’s on a volunteer basis or the rate is right on the National Minimum Wage of K3.50. See it as an opportunity to build your experience so there will be no issues applying for jobs requiring years of experience later.

When you don’t have any expectations or preferences of what sort of roles suit you, you’ll open yourself up to more job opportunities. Just get your foot in the door and make the most of the opportunity.

So to conclude, I do agree that PNG’s youth are on the brink of an “unemployment crisis,” and while the government needs to do its bit by creating more employment opportunities, it will take time, as all public processes do in this country. The longer we wait for help, the worse the crisis gets. So our youth must empower themselves with the knowledge to apply for jobs effectively, extensively, and consistently for whatever job opportunities are available, whether voluntary or paid right on minimum wage to fight against the unemployment crisis. Wok em wok, wokim tasol.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

#ThePNGRecruiter