What are jobs? It appears a job is an engagement that occurs when one party (potential employer) requires assistance from another (potential worker) and commits to pay for such assistance.

Therefore, jobs are created by people needing some form of help (employers). The ones that offer help in exchange for the payment are recipients of jobs (workers).

When a country is faced with a problem of high rate of unemployment, it practically means there are fewer people/entities that need help and have money to pay for that help in such a country. Therefore, to increase jobs you need to increase the number of people/entities that need help.

Entities with capacity to create jobs comprise government itself, business and individuals with means.

Obviously, government has a huge need for help in ensuring safety (police, detectives, intelligence operatives, etc), health (doctors, nurses, paramedics etc), education (teachers, lecturers, professors, etc), including those needed in building infrastructure, roads, etc as well as administration in the different spheres of government.

Of course, the state collects money from citizens as tax to pay for such help. The quantum of tax that the state can collect obviously depends on the number of people who are able and obliged to pay such tax as well as the level at which it is penned.

On the other hand, businesses need help precisely for the purpose of generating money, which enables the business to pay for such help. However, recipients of jobs (workers) tend to think the money that pays them comes from heaven.

Hence their expressed resentment for "profit". As far as they are concerned, the money is from a well that does not run dry.

It is lost to them that the primary aim of starting a business is to make profit. Jobs are created precisely because some people have had the desire to make "profit' and have set up mechanism (business) to realise their desires.

Workers seem to have no clue that job availability, job stability and sustainability in business is wholly dependent on that business being able to make and increase its "profit". Money spent on initiating the business needs to be recovered before there is "profit". Most businesses only make profit after three years of existence.

Ironically, during that period "workers" who sell their skills to the business make their "profit" before the business reaches the stage of profitability. While "workers" have a right to be treated as fairly as is possible, they cannot in any way claim absolute right to the job.

Inasmuch as they would demand fairness from employers, they also have to play fair with the employer. An employer can only afford what he can afford for his own survival. It is not only about exploitation. The law has to deal with exploitation when it happens.

Dr Kenosi Mosalakae, Houghton