The employment question

Employment has many definitions. If you Google the word, you will find it defined as a contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, where the employer has the power or right to control and direct the employee in the material details of how the work is to be performed. This definition though common, is deficient as it ignores other crucial avenues such as self employment and employment of resources (capital). The economic definition of employment as productive use of resources towards achieving objectives of an enterprise perhaps covers it better.The first definition tends to be more reward-based. We send our children to school telling them that if they study well and excel, they will get good jobs. This is to a large extent true, but what we are really telling them is that they will earn ‘big salaries’. Given our human nature this could explain why this perception of employment is popular (in addition to the effects of industrial revolution and colonization).As Einstein says, ’ …you must first formulate a problem before attempting to solve it’. To ‘employ’, according to the dictionary, means to utilize, to use. So employment would thus be as economists correctly put it, the utilization of resources, normally labor and or capital, to achieve economic goals. The reason, we have dwelt on definitions is so that we put our employment problem in it proper perspective and thereafter seek the right solutions. The first question; is employment all about salaries and rewards? So you went to school and got a big well paying job. Are you employed? Not necessarily. It all depends on whether or not you are making a positive difference where you are. Have things improved because you came on board? If not, then economists will say you are underemployed or unemployed (you are not being useful) and entrepreneurs would consider you a liability. The second question; what then should be the focus of employment? Service should be the buzzword. Service to the customer, the institution and of courses the colleagues. This service should be as efficient and effective as it should be productive. Quality; that is fitness to use should be the basis of service. Are you giving your customer, institution and/ or colleague what meets their need? Else you will be serving delicious pork to a sheikh!Third question; does the customer have a role on employment? This question is best answered by the world’s biggest customer, the United States in her current politics. The economy and job creation is going to be the central issue in this year’s elections. What all agree on is that when they consume products made elsewhere there are shipping jobs there. If you import furniture from Indonesia, ostentious as it is, you are putting a Rwandan carpenter out of work. Fourth question; is full employment achievable? The jury is still out on what exactly full employment. Economists argue on whether it means 100% utilization of resources or just close to that. No one disputes, however, that the closer we are to the 100% mark the better. It is achievable, as countries such as Japan have demonstrated. Question five; what is everyone’s role? Each of us is both a consumer on one hand a producer on another. We should play a robust role in both. As producers, it is incumbent on each of us to provide quality goods and services so that consumers do not have to look for alternatives elsewhere. As consumers, where possible, we should seek local alternatives first, to grow our economy.One last thing; if we changed our attitudes towards jobs it would help a lot. If jobs were not just rewards for long hard toil in school but rather opportunities to serve and make a difference in the society we’d be better off. We’d even do better if we gave serious consideration to the path of self employment and created a few jobs in the process.Sam Kebongo teaches entrepreneurship at Rwanda Tourism University College. He also is a Director at Serian Ltd that provides skills and business advisory services consultancy