Circulation, urbanisation and the youth boom in island Melanesia - article ; n°2 ; vol.12, pg 225-236

Wardlow Friesen

Description

Espace, populations, sociétés - Année 1994 - Volume 12 - Numéro 2 - Pages 225-236
Circulation, urbanisation et « boom des jeunes » dans le Sud Pacifique.
Selon les derniers recensements, les taux de fécondité baissent dans les Etats mélanésiens à très forte natalité comme les Vanuatu ou les Iles Salomon. Toutefois la population continuera à croître encore quelque temps, surtout la population jeune. Ce « boom des jeunes » pose des problèmes considérables en cette époque de très forte pression sur l'enseignement et les autres services, où les cohortes de demandeurs d'emploi dépassent largement le nombre d'emplois disponibles. Les jeunes, surtout les jeunes hommes, représentent une part importante des migrants et cela risque d'aggraver, dans les années à venir, les problèmes de concentration urbaine de la population. Cet article étudie les relations entre croissance de la population et mobilité dans les îles mélané-siennes: Iles Salomon, Vanuatu, Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Recent censuses have shown that fertility rates are declining in high fertility Melanesian countries such as Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. However, the population will continue to grow for some time, especially the youth cohorts. This «youth boom» is of considerable concern at a time when pressure on educational and other services is already high, and when potential new entrants in the wage labour force far outnumber the new jobs available. The young, especially males, have always had a high level of involvement in population circulation, and this process is likely to concentrate potential problems in urban areas in the future. This paper considers the relationship between population and mobility in the countries of Island Melanesia: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.
12 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: ESPACE-_POPULATIONS-_SOCIETES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1994
• Nombre de lectures: 5
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Wardlow Friesen
Circulation, urbanisation and the youth boom in island Melanesia
In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 1994-2. Les populations du Pacifique - Populations of the Pacific. pp. 225-236.
Résumé
Circulation, urbanisation et « boom des jeunes » dans le Sud Pacifique.
Selon les derniers recensements, les taux de fécondité baissent dans les Etats mélanésiens à très forte natalité comme les
Vanuatu ou les Iles Salomon. Toutefois la population continuera à croître encore quelque temps, surtout la population jeune. Ce
« boom des jeunes » pose des problèmes considérables en cette époque de très forte pression sur l'enseignement et les autres
services, où les cohortes de demandeurs d'emploi dépassent largement le nombre d'emplois disponibles. Les jeunes, surtout les
jeunes hommes, représentent une part importante des migrants et cela risque d'aggraver, dans les années à venir, les
problèmes de concentration urbaine de la population. Cet article étudie les relations entre croissance de la population et mobilité
dans les îles mélané-siennes: Iles Salomon, Vanuatu, Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Abstract
Recent censuses have shown that fertility rates are declining in high fertility Melanesian countries such as Vanuatu and Solomon
Islands. However, the population will continue to grow for some time, especially the youth cohorts. This «youth boom» is of
considerable concern at a time when pressure on educational and other services is already high, and when potential new
entrants in the wage labour force far outnumber the new jobs available. The young, especially males, have always had a high
level of involvement in population circulation, and this process is likely to concentrate potential problems in urban areas in the
future. This paper considers the relationship between population and mobility in the countries of Island Melanesia: Solomon
Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Friesen Wardlow. Circulation, urbanisation and the youth boom in island Melanesia . In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 1994-2.
Les populations du Pacifique - Populations of the Pacific. pp. 225-236.
doi : 10.3406/espos.1994.1642
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/espos_0755-7809_1994_num_12_2_1642FRIESEN Department of Geography Wardlow
University of Auckland
10, Symonds Street
Auckland 1
Nouvelle-Zélande
Circulation , urbanisation and
the youth boom in island
Melanesia
colonies has taken place since then, so that
the Melanesian (Kanak) population was sur
passed by immigrant populations in the
1950s. Much of the land has been alienated
focuses term stretching 1. deal Irian which languages Solomon 'Melanesia' INTRODUCTION with Jaya is there the generally Islands, this and from in countries is are the degree cultures not the more west Vanuatu easily used Indonesian of to (Figure than diversity, to 'island' Fiji defined, and 1000 define in 1). New province the Melanesia: In distinctive this since an Caledonorder east, paper area the of to in with the Kanaks being settled on reserves.
Vanuatu lies between Solomon Islands and
New Caledonia physically, culturally and
politically. A French-British condominium
was founded in 1887 and remained until i
ia. It excludes Irian Jaya due to lack of data ndependence in 1980. There has been small-
from this area, Papua New Guinea which has scale European settlement, but the
about 700 cultural groups, and Fiji, which Melanesian population still comprises 98
culturally has more affinity with Polynesia. percent of the population. Substantial blocks
As well as being culturally diverse, the three of land that were acquired by non-indig
Melanesian countries considered here have enous settlers were returned to customary
diverse colonial histories. The Solomon Is tenure after independence.
lands was a British colony from 1893 to Despite the diversity of the countries con
1978, but during this period there were rela sidered here, there are some common char
tively few British settlers, and most of the acteristics as well. The Melanesian
land remains under customary tenure. In populations are predominantly rural, and a
contrast, New Caledonia has been a French high proportion participate in a mixed r
colony since 1853, and substantial immigrat egime of subsistence food production and
ion of settlers from France and from French cash cropping. For Melanesian populations,
* Circulation includes population movements ranging tion areas ; in the case of Melanesia circulation is char
from short-term mobility to longer-term migration, with acterised by a migrant's on-going commitments to place
an emphasis on connections between source and of origin, and usually an eventual return to that place. Equator-
PAPUA NEW GUINEA Manuscp..
i Bismarck *-%*^ New Ireland
' II New Britain r>U
i ï Torres Islands \
VANUATU
Espirito Santo Q *\ Pentecost Vanua Levu
Malakula^Ambrym - v N Port Vila*Efate •'• Shepherd Islands
Vitl Levu
vn OErromangoi va* ;Lau Group Kadavu-
oTanna
FIJI
i '
.
227
Table 1. Population and urban growth in island Melanesia
îi!^ittiiSiiiïiiî:Ji " ': Turn Blitidtt of
!;■- a::Y".-"-.-:- .;!r'!
total ;*Ç^
Solomon Islands (Solomon (Honiara)
Islanders)
1970 11,191 6.8
3.4 159,049 4.8
1976 14,942 7.2
194,772 3.5 6.8
30,413 6.1 1986
283,176 3.0 6.8
Projected 2001 81,500 4.9
446,545
Vanuatu (Port Vila) (Ni-Vanuatu)
77,988 5,208 6.7 1967
2.5 6.2
104,371 10,601 1979 6.5
2.9 6.0
1989 139,480 19,311 5.3
2.9 3.3
projected 1999 187,000 26,840 5.1
New Caledonia (Total (Total Noumea) (Total) (Total) (Total)
Noumea) - 1969 42,688
100,579
56,078 4.0 3.9 3.9 1976
133,233
1.3 3.6 1983 60,112 1.0
145,368
2.1 1.3 3.0 1989 65,110
164,173
(Kanaks in
(Kanaks in (Kanak) Noumea) (Kanak) (Kanak)
Noumea)
1969 7,073
46,200 5.5
1976 10,064 2.6 5.0
55,598 5.0
1.5 1983 12,526 3.1
61,870 4.5
1989 14,937 2.9 2.9
4.1* 73,598
Sources: Official Census Publications; Rallu 1985, Cole 1993
* In the absence of sufficient data from the 1989 Census of New Caledonia to make a full assessment of Kanak
fertility, the TFR shown here is estimated from the age-sex structure.
migration systems are mainly centred on in tant participants in circular movements. It
ternal migration, since there are relatively has been argued that circulation is declining
few opportunities for international move in favour of more permanent forms of mi
ment. Towns are small but growing rapidly. gration, but this assertion may be questioned
in the context of relatively little growth in Circulation has characterised internal popul
wage labour forces in the region, while ation mobility in Melanesia for many years,
and young people have always been populations are still growing rapidly. 228
SOLOMON ISLANDS: AVERAGE ANNUAL NUMBER OF NEW ENTRANTS TO WORKING AGE POPULATION 1965-201 1
D males
1 females
1965-70 1971-76 1976-81 1981-86 1986-91 1991-96 1996-2001 2001-06 2006-11
based on 1970, 1976, 1986 censuses and medium projection on 1986 base Figure 2
Melanesian populations are characterised during which the proportion of the popula
tion who are aged between 15 and 30 will by high fertility rates, especially in Solo
mon Islands and Vanuatu. Recent evidence increase. In absolute terms this expansion
will be much greater than the likely growth from censuses, however, shows that fertil
ity rates are beginning to decline. Nevert of the wage labour force, while at the same
heless it will take some time for overall time the level of circulation in search of
population growth to slow, and over the wage employment is likely to increase sub
next decade there will be a 'youth boom' stantially.
2. POPULATION GROWTH AND FERTILITY
Population growth rates in the countries of decline in Vanuatu, from a TFR of 6.7 in
island Melanesia are high by international 1967 to 6.5 in 1979 and further to 5.3 in
and Pacific standards, but there is evidence 1989. This resulted in a slight decline in the
that fertility levels have peaked, and that growth rate from 3.1 percent to 2.9 percent.
there is an ongoing decline (Table 1). Evi The fertility rates of Melanesians in New
dence from the 1976 Census of Solomon Caledonia are lower than those in Solomon
Islands showed an increase in the total fer Islands and Vanuatu, but show the same
downward trend. In the late 1960s the TFR tility rate (TFR) in the late 1960s and early
1970s to a peak of 7.5 in 1974, and analysis was 5.5, and this had dropped to 4.5 in
1982.2 The much lower fertility rate of the of the 1986 Census confirmed this peak, and
revealed a considerable decline to a TFR of European population (2.6 in 1982) means
6.1 in 1985. This declining fertility rate has that the overall fertility level in New Cal
not yet, however, resulted in a decline in the edonia, at 3.6 in 1982, has been the lowest
overall growth rate. As a result of the very in Melanesia. However, rates of populati