Never before in our nation’s history has youth unemployment been so alarmingly high; it has reached a crisis point. Today, under the ULP government, 46% of young Vincentians are without jobs, a staggering figure that reflects not just economic failure but also a profound betrayal of our generation.
The few opportunities that exist under the ULP government are temporary and unsustainable. This government has made an art form out of temporary solutions — temporary jobs (construction, ON-SITE, YES programme, etc.), temporary bridges, temporary schools, temporary clinics — but young people must remind them that their time in office is also temporary. It is time for them to go!
The ULP has miserably failed in providing meaningful technical and vocational (TechVoc) education. Their neglect of TechVoc is a slap in the face to young people. Across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, community centres are closed, overgrown with bush and littered with faeces. Imagine if these spaces were transformed into engines of opportunity where young people can:
- Learn skilled trades, so we no longer need to import workers for basic construction tasks like mixing cement.
- Develop artisanal and craft-making skills to produce uniquely Vincentian souvenirs for the tourism industry.
- Train young entrepreneurs running online food businesses, giving them the skills and resources to expand their ventures.
Instead, these centres remain locked up, symbolic of a government that has shut out young people from opportunity.
Added to this, the PRYME grant system was supposed to empower young entrepreneurs, but instead, it remains a dodgy, politically manipulated handout system. Who benefits? Not the visionary young baker in Petit Bordel or the aspiring tech innovator in Owia, nor the young entrepreneur from the Grenadines trying to rebuild after Hurricane Beryl. The reality is clear: PRYME is being used as a political tool to reward ULP cronies, their families, and those whose loyalty they are trying to buy. That is not development; that is corruption and daylight robbery of our future.
As elections draw closer, young people can expect the usual wine and dine from the ULP — lavish events, entertainment contracts for their usual suspects, and grand promises for the rest. When you stop to think about it, you see the same circle of entertainers being hired over and over. If others are ever lucky, they get the crumbs but never the big contracts. We must not be fooled. After election day, it will be back to “square one” — where only the politically connected benefit while the rest are forgotten. For over a decade, many have been holding out in false hope that their time will come and have been told to “wait your turn”. But let’s be real, if your time has not come in the last 10+ years, it will never ever under the ULP. They have shown us exactly who they are and as they say, “we must believe what we see.”
This election is about more than just voting. It is about changing the trajectory of our country’s future. The NDP is the only party with a real plan to empower young people and create sustainable opportunities, and not handouts to the few. The NDP will introduce a National Development Bank – providing low-interest loans for young entrepreneurs, so you can fund your business ideas without facing discrimination, losing your dignity or idea theft. Too many young Vincentians can’t even open a bank account hassle-free, much less secure financing. The NDP must and will change that.
Additionally, the NDP will invest in an innovation hub — offering technical support, mentorship, business plan development, marketing strategies, and market research services. Young people with great ideas will have a structured path to success, ensuring their businesses can grow, thrive and create employment. By empowering entrepreneurs and building a real economy, the NDP will help to create long-term, high-quality jobs — not just the temporary, politically driven contracts tied to election cycles.
This is the year when young Vincentians must send a clear message: We deserve better. We demand better. The ULP has had 24 years to deliver. They have chosen corruption over creativity, and cronyism over competence. The ULP has failed us.
We must reject the politics of favouritism, temporary handouts, and empty promises. We must demand a government that works for all young people, not just a privileged few.
In 2025, every young Vincentian must stand with the NDP. Our future depends on it.
Esteban Richard-Hernández
President, Young Democrats
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
Wow! That line, “They have chosen corruption over creativity, and cronyism over competence” is powerful.
I agree. And you should urge their parents to do the same because sadly, in many cases they still have to take care of most of the financial needs of the home, due to the unemployed status of their bright, able-bodied young adults. They too, DESERVE and should DEMAND better.
SVG, Time for reset and change course! Things are really hard on the average household. The situation is being glossed over by the authorities who are resorting to their old playbook by projecting the appearance that “things nice here in SVG”. Meanwhile our food and utility bills are skyrocketing and the government lacks the concern, care, and will to meaningfully offer a long term solution. They are clueless about how to fix it. Their immediate objective is to retain power and continue control over the ever increasing poor and our diminishing middle class. Quite frankly , we have been going downhill for the past 20+plus years.
There is a better way forward , SVG People.
Vote NDP for a Brighter Future.
Why can we never acknowledge the reality that we have neither the natural nor the human resources needed to provide large-scale, sustainable employment for our young people?
If you want full time, well paid employment, do what hundreds of thousands of Vincentians have had to do since 1838, namely migrate to countries with more natural resources than we do.
A change in government will have little or no effect on our high level of youth unemployment.
I said the samething