Imagine a young employee completing a report electronically, only to be told to print it, sign it, scan it and email it back. Somewhere between the printer and the scanner, so much is lost: innovation and time. This imagined encounter captures a question Uganda must confront: is the country ready for Generation Z’s labour force? Welcoming young workers requires more than giving them a password and a motivational speech. It requires productive jobs, relevant skills and institutions willing to unlearn and learn. Generation Z, alias Gen Z, broadly refers to people born from the late 1990s to around 2010. Belonging to the same generation does not mean having identical experiences or expectations. A young farmer in Nakaseke and a software developer in Kampala may be similar in age but face very different working realities. Understanding this generation, therefore, requires looking beyond fashionable labels and recognising differences in education, income, location and access to technology. International evidence nevertheless offers useful insights into how many young people approach work. Deloitte’s 2026 survey, covering more than 22,500 Gen Z and millennial respondents across 44 countries, found that 74 per cent of Gen Z respondents used artificial intelligence to some extent in their daily work. Only six per cent identified achieving a leadership position as their primary career goal. These findings describe the survey’s respondents and should not be treated as statistics for Uganda’s workforce. They suggest, however, that ambition increasingly includes developing expertise, earning reliably and maintaining a manageable life, alongside pursuing promotions. For employers, this calls for a broader understanding of career success. An impressive title may attract attention, but it cannot substitute for fair pay, useful training or reasonable working conditions. An employer may proudly offer the position of “Assistant Deputy Coordinator of Strategic Possibilities”, only for the applicant to ask whether those strategic possibilities include transport facilitation! Beneath the humour lies a serious point: young workers need employment that supports their lives as well as their professional aspirations. Employers should be prepared for workers who value clear instructions, timely feedback and some flexibility where the job allows it. At the same time, digital confidence is not complete professional competence. An attractive video does not prove skill in spreadsheets or customer care, and using AI still requires checking facts and taking responsibility for the final output. A fashionable app cannot attend a field inspection. Uganda’s deeper challenge is whether young people can access work at all. A UBOS 2025 report shows that 17.9 per cent of unemployment among 15-24 year-olds, and 42.6 per cent (about 4 million) were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2023/24. Unemployment covers those in the labour force seeking work; NEET includes those outside both work and learning. This is not uniquely Ugandan. In 2026, South Africa reported 60.9 per cent unemployment among economically active 15-24 year-olds and 37.6 per cent NEET. In the UK, 981,000 people aged 16-24 (13 per cent) were NEET in 2026. Definitions and periods differ, so they are not a league table, but they show that building pathways to work is a shared challenge. Technology alone does not solve this. Deloitte’s 2026 Netherlands findings show that 67 per cent of Gen Z use AI at work, yet 51 per cent postponed major life decisions for financial reasons. Digital fluency improves how people work but does not pay rent. EPRC’s 2026 policy brief, Unlocking Industry Capacity to Close Uganda’s Skills Gap, emphasizes a familiar recruitment puzzle: an entry-level vacancy that requires previous experience and recommends a practical fix: cost sharing and stronger industry education partnerships a direct answer to entry level jobs that demand prior experience. EPRC’s 2024 report, Skills Acquisition in Uganda, also identifies a persistent disconnect between educational outcomes and labour-market needs. Together, these findings suggest that preparation for employment should begin before graduation, through credible career guidance, practical exposure and stronger employer participation in training. There are encouraging policy developments. Uganda now has the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act, 2025, with implementation and transition notices published by the TVET Council. The Ministry of Education and Sports has also published TVET diploma admissions information for the 2026/27 training year. These efforts provide opportunities to strengthen practical training. Cooperation between generations can strengthen these efforts. Older workers have experience and institutional knowledge worth passing on, while younger workers may introduce methods worth testing. Mentorship should create room for both contributions. The writer is a research analyst at Economic Policy Research CentreThe post Is Uganda ready for the Gen Z labour force? appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.