Over 65% of Nigerian youths are without jobs – Report

A new report by Jobberman, a Nigerian based job portal and career platform has revealed that over 65 percent of youths are unemployed in Africa’s biggest economy.

The findings from the report titled ‘How do young people survive without jobs’ were conducted from a survey of 2,228 respondents between the ages of 18-35 years old, in June – July, this year.

“Over 65 percent of 2,228 respondents engaged during this research indicated that they are unemployed even though the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) official unemployment rate statistics is at 33.3 percent in 2020,” it said.

“Our research suggests that about one in every five unemployed youths has been without work for more than five years, 22 percent for between three to five years, while 34 percent and 27 percent have had no job for at least a year and less than a year, respectively,” it also said.

In terms of regions, the report showed young people in the northeast and northwest, are predisposed to longer unemployment durations compared to other regions of the country.

In the northeast, about 32 percent have been unemployed for three to five years, while about 30 percent have been unemployed for over five years; the northwest recorded 28 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

“Longer durations of unemployment usually lead to reduced employability, heightened frustration, depression, and even hopelessness, making deviant options attractive,” the report said.

It added that although Nigerian youths do not immediately resort to violence or violent means due to unemployment issues, young people, especially in the northeast are consistently predisposed to imbibing harmful ideologies and engaging in violent activities as an economic transition pathway.

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“This extensive idleness contributes significantly to worsening economic conditions, making it more difficult to break out of the cycle of poverty and insecurity.”

Nigeria’s high inflationary pressures which has surged to the highest in 17 years as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis in February, is affecting the recovery and creation of jobs in its labour market.

This has adversely affected the disposable income of people which has eroded their purchasing power, eventually throwing millions of people into poverty.

“Amplified by the global economic crisis, COVID-19, insecurity, and the current political landscape, Nigeria’s labour force is undergoing undergoing significant disruptions at all levels,” the Jobberman report said.

It further said while there is a huge exodus of talent from the country, layoffs, retrenchments, and termination of contractual work arrangements is common in many employment sectors.

The report highlighted hustle, support from family and friends, stipends from parents, borrowing and support from partners as the top five means of survival for unemployed youths in the country.

“Although the population of unemployed youth in Nigeria is on the rise, many young people are rarely without economic engagement, as over 56 percent acknowledge hustle as their means of survival.

“This largely invalidates their description as ‘lazy,’ complacent, and entitled entities, as they continue to display resilience and demonstrate agency within economic structures,” it said.