Ugandans Prioritise Job Creation and Education to Help Young People, Even If It Requires Higher Taxes

5 May 2026
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Ssenkumba Muhammad

If given a choice, most youth would start a business or work in the public sector.

Key findings

  • Job creation and education are the top priorities for government spending to help young people, according to survey respondents.
  • A majority (58%) of Ugandans approve of the government's performance on providing education, though approval has declined significantly over the past two decades.
  • Only 44% of citizens approve of the government's performance on job creation.
  • Education and unemployment rank second and sixth among the most important problems that Ugandans say their government should address.
  • Slightly more than one-quarter (28%) of Ugandan adults say they hold full-time jobs, with another 17% working part time.
  • About one in five (21%) say they don't have a job and are looking for one. This situation is more common among youth (27%) than among older groups (7%-16%), and is also particularly widespread among those with secondary education (25%), the poorest citizens (24%), and residents in the Eastern (31%) and Northern (26%) regions.
  • Unwillingness to work in certain jobs, inadequate training, and a lack of experience required by employers are the most frequently cited barriers to youth employment.
  • If given a choice, almost half (47%) of youth say they would start their own businesses, while 23% would opt for a public-sector job and 13% would choose to work in agriculture.
  • Large majorities of Ugandans say they are willing to pay higher taxes or user fees in order to fund public education (75%) and initiatives to help young people (72%), as well as programmes to assist the poorest people (70%).

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

The United Nations (2015) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) position decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) and inclusive access to quality education at all levels (SDG 4) at the heart of sustainable development efforts. These goals underscore the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need to participate meaningfully in economic life. At the national level, Uganda's long-term development blueprint, Vision 2040, similarly emphasises human capital development and employment generation as key drivers of transformation from a predominantly low-income to a competitive upper-middle-income country (Government of Uganda, 2013).

Although Uganda has made significant progress in expanding access to education, the relationship between education and labour-market success is far from linear (Uganda Bureau of Statistic, 2021). Many young graduates face difficulties in securing meaningful work due to inadequate skills, limited experience, and a mismatch between educational qualifications and labour-market requirements, forcing many to settle for roles misaligned with their qualifications (Kanya, 2022; Monitor, 2021). This leads to underutilisation of human capital, economic inefficiency, and wasted resources.

As the country's youth and total population continue to grow, calls for government to prioritise investments in job creation and equipping young people with relevant skills for the job market dominate public debate (Ainomugisha, 2024; Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social Development, 2022; Nalweera, 2025; Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, 2025; UNESCO, 2025). These calls reflect a broader recognition that education and employment are central to household stability, poverty reduction, and long-term national development.

Results of an Afrobarometer survey in January 2025 show that education and job creation rank high among the most important problems that citizens say the government must address, and top the list of priority programmes to help young people. Although a majority of Ugandans approve of the government's performance on education, ratings have declined significantly over the past two decades, and far fewer think the government is doing an adequate job on reducing unemployment. Most citizens say they would be willing to pay higher taxes or user fees to support public education and programmes to help young people.

Ssenkumba Muhammad Ssenkumba Muhammad is a statistician for Hatchile Consult Ltd., the Afrobarometer national partner in Uganda.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2026 Afrobarometer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.