Decent work for young Bolivians

Young Bolivians face huge difficulties due to unemployment and precarious work. Solidar Suisse helps them to enter the labour market.

A majority without an employment contract

Three quarters of all young Bolivians work without a labour contract in street vending, as domestic workers, as construction workers or in agriculture. Others cannot find a job because they lack work experience, including university graduates. The COVID pandemic has exacerbated this situation. Many young adults do not know how to apply for jobs successfully or are not familiar enough with the labour market and their labour rights.

Job fair for young people in Bolivia. © Solidar Suisse

Perspectives for young people

Solidar Suisse organises training on application processes and courses on customer service or managing a team. In addition, we promote start-ups.

Solidar Suisse organises round tables where young adults, authorities and business representatives can talk to each other. This makes initiatives possible that were previously unimaginable: Be it the employment of women in brick factories, the training of nurses or the founding of economically viable start-ups. Solidar particularly supports young mothers who have had to interrupt their careers and are looking for a second chance.

In the three cities of La Paz, Viacha and Cobija, we support the authorities in making active efforts to support young people. This includes by adapting the legal and political framework conditions and creating more conducive labour market conditions.

Training and competition for people who work in media and a comprehensive communication campaign aim to create public awareness so that in the future, young people have better prospects of obtaining safe and fairly paid work.

This project is supported by Brücke-Le Pont.

«My shop sells health foods and products – I make the fruit juices and quinoa cakes myself. Beforehand I spent 14 years working as domestic help in La Paz, but I wasn’t always treated well there. Now I can live off what I earn with my shop.»

Franziska Callisaya Escobar

Impact

In 2022, a total of 281 people took part in training courses on soft skills and business start-ups. For many young adults, starting their own small business is the first choice for integrating into the labour market. Solidar supported a total of 42 business start-ups - including 13 start-ups by young mothers - in the four municipalities of Sacaba (Dpto. Cochabamba), Cobija (Dpto. Pando), Achocalla and Mecapaca (Dpto. La Paz).

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