As in any other society, the Karamoja cluster labor market is dynamic. This report delves into this dynamism, starting with the communities’ reliance on agro-pastoralism that is amenable climatic and geographic conditions, and proceeds to document communities’ inclusion of additional sources of livelihoods such as formal employment, self-employment (for example crop-farming, small-scale businesses, retail, and wholesale shops), wage employment in micro-services (hairdressing, barber shops, tailoring and so forth) and cross-border trade. Of course, this shift in the labor market is attributable to several causes, including climatic change that has reduced the fortunes of agro-pastoral sectors, and emerging market demands.

This labor market assessment report further elaborates on the gender dynamics of the dominant agro-pastoral livelihoods, which are similarly reproduced in the emerging forms of labor and wage employment. At the same time, the report provides an overview of the existing and potential economic opportunities in the labor market, identifies the key sectors of growth and potential, the available skills and skills in demand by the labor market, and the formal and informal barriers in labor market participation for various groups of people (especially women, youth and traditionally marginalized groups). Further, the report presents analyses of the major value chains and the potential for private sector development in the Karamoja cross-border cluster.

Overall, this report reminds us about the need to address the skills gaps among the youth, who are the most likely beneficiaries of changes in the labor market owing to their versatility and adaptability. For example, training in skills in demand such as vocational skills, financial literacy, information and communication technology (ICT), business management, and interpersonal skills is necessary for self-employment across the cluster, as job opportunities continue to dwindle or are unavailable in the Karamoja cluster. Again, it is still emerging that formal and informal barriers to labor and wage employment endure, and will need to be addressed, particularly the more salient traditional gender norms that still lock out women from accessing employment and training opportunities. Of course, we should not lose focus on other prevalent barriers to accessing labor and wage employment in the Karamoja cluster.

Collective action in the labor sector (which could take the form of cooperatives) is still underdeveloped in the Karamoja cluster, just as the small and medium enterprises (SMES). Although businesses continue to grow as alternatives to the traditional agro-pastoral livelihoods, they have been unable to consolidate and transition to the medium enterprises level, or even develop sustainable value chains.
This report is an invaluable resource for government and non-government actors in understanding the Karamoja cluster’s labor market in our endeavors to contribute to the resilience of communities in the cluster and thus reduce their reliance on humanitarian assistance.