The Labour Market For Noise-Makers

Greetings. It is two years since the advent of Covid-19. The pandemic swept the globe and changed the way we work, consume, and travel, among other things. In the entertainment sphere, bars and night clubs were closed for extensive periods, resulting in a revision of the way night life was conducted. On this Labour Day, I move to examine some aspects of the labour market in the entertainment industry.

Unemployment in Uganda

With a population of 45.7 million, Uganda's labour force stands at 16.497 million people according to the World Bank data. Therefore, the economy has a 70.94% labour participation rate - the proportion of the labour force that is working or actively looking for productive work. Comparing across the region, Uganda is two percentage points above the sub-Saharan African average, and behind four of it's six neighbours. Despite a relatively high participation rate, wages remain low as well as limited benefits and social protection from employment.

COUNTRY	POPULATION	LABOUR FORCE	PARTICIPATION RATE (%)
Uganda	45.741	16.497	70.94
Burundi	11.890	5.089	80.00
D.R. Congo	89.561	31.465	64.07
Kenya	53.771	24.134	74.56
Rwanda	12.952	6.440	84.08
Tanzania	59.734	28.002	84.52
Sub-Saharan Africa	1,136.046	430.661	68.37

The government has long posited that encouraging "job-creators" rather than "job-seekers" goes a long way in curbing unemployment, particularly youth unemployment. Not entirely wrong, for I believe focusing on non-traditional professions can reduce on the number of job-seekers. If youths can find opportunities in fields like sports and entertainment, then the pressure on those knocking on the door in both formal and informal employment will simmer down. An added bonus is the fact that in these fields the workers are more likely to be getting paid for doing something they love.

Pension in the Noise-Making Industry?

"Noise-making", or work in the entertainment industry is something people can be very effective at during their youth. The conveyor belt keeps refreshing the faces in the industry with particular preference for young people. Therefore, the "forcible" retirement age in the entertainment industry is way below that of the civil servants and private sector employees. Planning for a life after work becomes more pressing for people in the entertainment industry. Given there are limited formal contracts, it is safe to say there is no pension plan in the entertainment industry, and each one individually has to carve out one for themselves. The Covid-19 pandemic more than any other factor brought this to light.

Long before the pandemic, Hon. Kyagulanyi had set up his One Love Beach in Busaabala as a recreation centre that can generate him income outside of music. As a former Member of Parliament, he is guaranteed to receive a stipend from the Parliamentary Pension Scheme.

The emergence of Kyagulanyi on the political scene cast an eye on the entertainment industry. It is important to note that entertainers had ventured into politics before him, i.e., Kato Lubwama defeated seasoned politician Ken Lukyamuzi to represent Rubaga South. However, whereas Lubwama was a comedian and radio host, Kyagulanyi's music had evolved from pure entertainment to educational, and he was pulling big crowds mainly made up of the youths. For the PR machine of NRM, it made sense to bring artists to the NRM fold in a bid to sway some of that youth support their way. 

Unfortunately, the method of distributing cash transfers to some of the artists has made them dependent on the largesse of NRM rather than curtailing Kyagulanyi's support. Begging the government for handouts as a pension plan for the entertainment industry has risen to an art form! One week the artists were travelling to Gulu to request for patronage from the president's brother, another week there was a comedian's association seeking to make contact with Balaam and Mama Fina, and then the DJs were calling out for support not long after!

With the full reopening of the market, the entertainment industry is envisaged to return to its former highs. For an industry that has the potential to provide alternative sources of income to many, it is important the lessons from Covid-19 are taken into consideration on an individual basis. 

Ceteris. Paribus.

References

Batambuze, C., (23rd October 2021). "What artistes, Saleh, reaped from Gulu gold rush," in The Daily Monitor. Retrieved 14th April 2022.

Owiny, T.J., & P. Kalokwera, (14th August 2021). "Gen.Saleh enters music industry, sparks off fights," in The Daily Monitor. Retrieved 14th April 2022.