The rate of unemployment in Nigeria has increased significantly, jumping from 10.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 12.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. This is according to a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (N.B.S), which further states that there are about 70 million, educated, able bodied Nigerians currently looking for gainful employment.

There are many reasons why the unemployment rate keeps increasing in Nigeria every year. One of these reasons is the lack of 24/7 power supply.

Nigeria is literally the giant of Africa with over 200 million citizens and millions of registered businesses. With such a population, business should be thriving thereby creating more jobs, but the only drawback is the lack of constant power supply.

Many foreign, small and medium sized businesses in Nigeria have begun downsizing because of the high cost of running generators and electric plants. Companies still want to operate and make profit but with as little manpower as possible.

Another reason for the high unemployment rate in Nigeria is because of the low standard of education.

There are over 200 accredited higher institutions in the country but majority of them have little or no facilities to train their graduating students, who according to the N.B.S, total over 200,000 per year. Another setback is that most of the lecturers and professors in even some of the best schools in Nigeria still teach theories and practices that have been improved upon thanks to technology.

These problems contribute directly to the unemployment rate in Nigeria, but at the same time, it presents an opportunity to those in the labour market because employers are looking for candidates with the right skills, education and intelligence. Simply put, top employers are looking for top candidates.

The real reason why you're still unemployed is because you have not taken the time to improve on yourself. The process of improving yourself is what employers and recruiters refer to as being employable. With the advancement in technology and the rise of online courses, you can easily update your skills and expertise and get certified from some of the best schools in the world. When you work hard to improve on yourself, you stand a better chance of standing out from the crowd and getting that dream job.

Another important factor that employers look for in candidates is how smart they are and by using tools like SpotterHR, an online assessment platform, employers can quickly filter out the smart candidates from the average ones. To know how smart you are, visit http:///2cw7d5L and take the online aptitude test and see how you rank.

So, what do you think? Share your comments below.


A version of this article appeared on the www.SpotterHR.com blog.

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