Jobberman, a digital platform that provides training and placement for jobseekers, has released a report providing new insights into youth unemployment.
In a statement released on Monday, the company stated that the 38-page report provides first-hand data on how the Nigerian youths navigate seasons of unemployment, with focus on the peculiarities of their coping strategies across each geo-political zone, as well as solutions based on data gathered.
Oreoluwa Boboye, Chief Executive Officer of Jobberman Nigeria, in the statement said "The report is one of our strategic interventions to provide data-backed insights to aid the development of practical solutions to address youth unemployment in Nigeria. For decades, Nigeria has been positioned as a global economic giant due in part to its youth population. Our research shows that if urgent measures are not taken, this economic advantage can become the albatross for lasting underdevelopment."
The research explores the broader context of youth unemployment factors, ranging from global economic recession, Ukraine-Russia war to rising insurgency, monolithic economy and a dysfunctional educational system. It x-rays the disposition of millennials and Gen Z employees to workplace culture and flexibility as well as the desire for fulfillment on the job beyond income from employment.
With the country divided into geo-political zones, the report presents its findings on the regional disparity on how unemployed youths survive with a significant number of respondents affirming that hustling, support from family and friends, and stipends from partners have been their major means of survival.
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The report found that one in every five unemployed youth has been without work for more than five years, and more than fifty percent of Nigerian youths are both unemployed and unemployable. Considering that only 17% percent of Nigerians have wage jobs with the potential to lift them out of poverty, the report canvasses for urgent intervention and proposes region-specific solutions for public and private sector players as well as development partners.
Commenting on the report data, Olamide Adeyeye, Jobberman's Monitoring, Research and Learning (MERL) Lead said "We found that more than 50% of the youths are both unemployed and unemployable. It was also interesting to see that these unemployed youths spend over 84% ofmoney sourced from families and friends on food and 10.2% on data. Our research shows that less than one percent of youths across the regions have benefited from social security initiatives from the government. As for the gender-specific peculiarities, we discovered that women are less likely to hustle and more frequently depend on other parties. It reduces women's economic contribution and makes them vulnerable to economic challenges when they are deprived of such third-party support."
