Namibia's growing population is increasing the number of people entering the working-age population and, ultimately, the labour market.

While population growth can support economic expansion, it also puts pressure on the economy to create enough jobs for those seeking employment.

The growing number of job seekers is creating a gap between the demand for employment and the opportunities available.

With more young Namibians entering the labour market each year, Namibia Statistics Agency Corporate Communications Manager Iipumbu Sakaria says the economy is under increasing pressure to create jobs.

"If you now have an economy, for example, that does not generate as many job opportunities as you have population growth, especially amongst the youth, especially 15 to 34, then you also sit with the challenge of having a lot of young people kept out of your labour market."

Namibia is creating jobs, but the pace of job creation remains slower than population growth.

"The economy is creating jobs. However, it's not growing as fast as your population growth. So that is a mismatch that you have… Currently, your population growth is much faster than your ability of the economy to actually generate growth."

Young people are particularly affected, with youth unemployment significantly higher than the national rate.

"It's definitely your youth. 15 to 34 years of age. When you look at the unemployment rate itself, the national one is 36.9%. And when you look at the youth, it's 44.4%. So you can clearly see that the youth are more affected in terms of unemployment."

High unemployment also puts pressure on households, as families face reduced incomes while young people have fewer opportunities to gain skills and work experience.

However, Iipumbu says Namibia is not moving backwards in terms of job creation, but the structure of the economy remains a challenge.

"I wouldn't say we are going backwards. You always want to move forward, and I think we are moving forward. Your major challenge is just that the structure of the economy – most of the investments that come in are from capital-intensive projects."

As Namibia's population continues to grow, the challenge is to ensure that economic growth translates into more jobs and opportunities.

For a young and expanding workforce, creating employment at a faster pace will be key to reducing the gap between population growth and job creation.