This morning I was reading BusinessWeek's cover article 'The Kids Are Not Alright'. It focused on a growing scourge of youth unemployment, which is beginning to assume global proportions. From London to Cairo, Brooklyn to Bombay, there seems to be an emerging trend of youths between the ages of 21 to 35 struggling to find work after leaving school. Vocation and technical training isn't left out; it seems there are simply no jobs any more, for our young people.

Unfortunately the article isn't available for free in written form, but you can listen to the story here.

The article postulates that the recent crises in the MENA region may have been triggered to a large extent by the mass of unemployed youth in those countries. Possibly they are tired of being recruited as terrorists or suicide bombers, and want to confront the problems in their nations head-on. Last year, in Britain, there were the famous anti-Tory protests, occasioned by the hike in college fees.

We in Nigeria aren't left out. More and more youth are leaving school with no prospects of any job, and this has been the trend since the global financial crisis set in.Today, I think we should listen to the affected persons, i.e. Nigerian youth and fresh school leavers, whether based in Nigeria or outside. How have your experiences been, how easy or difficult has it been trying to find a job, how have you been coping, what do you feel about the current situation, etc. We'd like to hear from the youth, the floor is yours. Fire away.

Interesting article from Economy Watch:

http://www.economywatch.com/economy-business-and-finance-news/ant-tribe-china-university-grads-not-finding-jobs.16-02.html

China's case seems to be pathetic. more than 6 million university grads not finding jobs. So what's all this story about global growth? The Middle East, Asia, and Africa, is supposed to hold the greatest potential for growth, but those regions top the charts in youth unemployment.
It may be time for people to re-evaluate their career options and expense.

pls inform global leaders

We need to sort ourselves by repositioning our country towards industrialization and not this present shooting out of university graduates that cannot stand on their own after graduation.

Unfortunately, mass unemployment is a by-product of population explosions.
The population increases exponentially but economic gowth hardly does.

Considering the volume of yearly graduates worldwide , unemployment even in the most robost of global economy
is to be expected.

Some schools of thought have even gone as far as suggesting fracturing single employment roles to employ more with reduced pay packets in the first world.

As for industrialisation : a point of industrial saturation is posible where everybody produces and there are hardly any major buyers.

In the case of China,it is a country with population of over 1.4 billion people.If about 6 million don't have jobs its still a a small fraction of the population.China success story is the private sector, they are the largest employers of labour. Especially the small and medium scale enterprises.Nigeria should borrow a leaf from them and not be waiting for only the government to create jobs.

hugooh42:

In the case of China,it is a country with population of over 1.4 billion people.If about 6 million don't have jobs its still a a small fraction of the population.China success story is the private sector, they are the largest employers of labour. Especially the small and medium scale enterprises.Nigeria should borrow a leaf from them and not be waiting for only the government to create jobs.

Well said.

Youth or general unemeployment in Nigeria is not new, it's been there before I was born and if we don't get it right at Presidential and Gubernatorial level then it can only grow worse not better. I'm not a pessimist, I'm just saying the obvious!

Can’t speak specifically to the question in the OP but here is my general thought about the current unemployment in the US and Nigeria.

Imagine borrowing money to go to a private school spending upwards of $130k to obtain a BSc and MBA, only not to find a job when you graduate. Your loan then gets deferred while the interest accrues, only for your education to become stale due to not being employed in your field then you’re caught in a catch-22.

The worst part is that student loans cannot be written off even when you file for bankruptcy. The principal plus accruing interest will forever hunt you until fully paid. Well, this is what some people are facing here in the US.

Creating new jobs to absorb the unemployed is even harder due to needing completely new high-skill industries. Gone are the low-skill manufacturing jobs of yesterday that provided an industry that employed millions of people both directly and indirectly.

In Nigeria, the situation is a little different and the solution somewhat easier. Nigerians don’t typically borrow money to go to college and creating a low-skill manufacturing job is easier. We don’t even have to re-invent the wheel. All we need to do is copy whatever low-skill manufacturing jobs that are being shipped to East Asia. The only catch is that the government will need to do, at least, the following:

1. Make the business environment more conducive by making it easier to transfer and police intellectual property. Companies are more likely to transfer knowledge if they know that their contracts will be enforced and the judicial system will be impartial.
2. Monetary policies - one needs to b able to move a reasonable amount of money in and out of Nigeria easily at will.
3. Taxes – free tax zones are already being implemented.
4. Stability – having to worry about your awarded contract being thrown out without recourse when the government change erodes confidence. Why would I invest millions/billions of dollars only for it to be at risk when the govt changes?
5. Financing – icing on the cake.

What can i say? the rest of the world is only just experiencing what has been evident in this country way before the financial crises and now is so much worse that the government dare not even give a realistic unemployment rate,for in comparison to Tunisia and Egypt their unemployment figures will be like a drop in a bucket compared to what we have in Nigeria cos as a country and a region (west Africa)
we haven't even gotten the basics right;

1)development of human capital.

2)Protection of intellectual property.

3)A judicial system that does not inspire confidence.

4)reversing the effect of the dutch disease,

5)Non-transparency nor accountability of public office holders.

6)A non efficient monitoring and evaluation dept at all tiers of government.

7) Seeming inability to set-up infrastructures that attract F.D.I.

9) Need for a transparent and stable democratic machinery.

too many mini-markets in the west African region, borders, currencies, and laws which all adds to the cumbersomeness of moving goods from one border to the other, inconvenience of changing currencies, adapting to different business laws all in a market that does not pull much financial weight in the continent.

the list could go on but i guess this gives any one a clue of how daunting the task ahead is for our governments in this region cos compared to other governments its like we have not started.

Africa's challenges are many, so are its criticisms, solutions are what is greatly lacking. While some are trying, but unfortunately in the wrong directions believing that physical infrastructures ALONE would get us their, yet there are a few who are developing human capital, building infrastructures of the mind, investing in the youths to meet future challenges. The truth is that in any race, the person behind (as Africa is) needs to move at a faster speed if he EVER hopes to catch up with the people in front. The report below rekindles some hope, however when it was first mentioned, many waved it off as an empty promise, even now that it is being implemented the vision is not too clear to some, as events unfold lets hope many more will come to the the realisation that Africa's greatest resource are its people & like other resources we need to add some value before we can expect great returns.





"Indications have emerged that the training of shortlisted candidates for the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES), an initiative of Governor Rauf Aregbesola aimed at empowering 20,000 youths within his 100 days in office, has begun.

Already, a two-day workshop had been held for the trainers of the candidates that would participate in the scheme. The workshop was held in Osogbo, the state capital on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Speaking at the two-day Train-the-Trainer workshop, one of the Coordinators of the scheme, Abiodun Aremu, pointed out that the take-off of the programme through the workshop was a clear demonstration of Aregbesola's determination to banish unemployment and poverty in the state.

Aremu, a former general secretary, Labour and Civil Society Coalition, said the initiative was unprecedented considering the huge figure of 20,000 youths involved.

According to him, the philosophy behind the scheme was to place human capital development as a prelude to social and other forms of development. He said the co-coordinators of the scheme would ensure that they make the initiative a reality to the satisfaction of the government aimed at engaging the youths without fair or favour.

Also at the occasion, the Publicity Secretary of the scheme, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, said that the ongoing process was the fulfillment of electioneering of Aregbesola's administration.

Oyintiloye, who is also the Assistant Director, Community Forum of the Bureau of Communication and Strategy, office of the governor, said the government would continue to explore all possibilities to raise the social and economic profile of the people.


He said about 280,000 youths applied for the scheme, out of which 20,000 would be shortlisted, noting that other applicants would be taken into consideration and accommodated in subsequent scheme, especially in agriculture.

Oyintiloye said: "Every great nation is a product of the deliberate efforts by all classes of people at nation building, irrespective of their age, sex or ideological group, and young people have always had a major role to play. We need to promote the efficiency of joint work and its impact on the living conditions of the population, and provide the government with a methodology to ensure articulation of plans and priorities. This is the basis for the scheme.

"It is time to empower our youths through active and proactive positive participation instead of being engaged as political thugs, and constituting a menace to the society."

source;http://allafrica.com/stories/201102090359.html

Today, I think we should listen to the affected persons, i.e. Nigerian youth and fresh school leavers, whether based in Nigeria or outside. How have your experiences been, how easy or difficult has it been trying to find a job, how have you been coping, what do you feel about the current situation, etc. We'd like to hear from the youth, the floor is yours. Fire away.

This is what is required in this thread not proffering solutions. To me its quite frustrating after finishing school and raising the hope of the family,suddenly the hope becomes dashed because of lack of job.You often find it difficult to afford the basic things of life and may be ashamed in most cases to go back to your family for financial assistance.A friend of mine who has a 2.1 degree in Economics was forced to take up a security job(gate man for that matter) after searching for job for a long time.

Its quite pathetic.

youths should not wait for the govt or corporate org for jobs, we should start something and be self-employed

chamber2:

This is what is required in this thread not proffering solutions. To me its quite frustrating after finishing school and raising the hope of the family,suddenly the hope becomes dashed because of lack of job.You often find it difficult to afford the basic things of life and may be ashamed in most cases to go back to your family for financial assistance.A friend of mine who has a 2.1 degree in Economics was forced to take up a security job(gate man for that matter) after searching for job for a long time.

Its quite pathetic.

Thanks, chamber2. Nice one, these were the kind of responses I was trying to get. Are you affected, and how have you been coping? And your friend, is he still working as a security man, or has he found something better.
I remember some years ago, almost a decade and a half ago, when I just finished NYSC, and had to wait out six months before I got a job in a software company. They seemed to be the longest six months of my life. I was broke, had to stay at home most times, and kept applying and applying for jobs.
A friend of mine who studied accounting had to take up a job manning the copier at a business center, to raise money for ICAN.
If it was tough then, I just wonder how it would be nowadays. These days I have so many young relatives with good degrees, all looking for jobs.

Does anybody have any experiences to share? Let's know how you're coping.

am new at posting in dis forum so i hope i posted this rite.
youth unemployment is nt new, only it is rising. One tin i wud say is dat pples shud stop waitin for government and jobs after skool. Our educational system is dysfunctional, graduates are turned out each year, bt many only got skooling n nt education, almost every1 as the mentality that after skool d next tin is a Job, while nt become an entrepreneur and employ others instead of goin around with ur certificate and nt getting anytin. The  point of education is to have enough knowledge, to be broadminded and to give back to society, many carry 1st class certificates bt have Third Class brains, if you don't get a job, then think of sometin tangible you can do, it may nt be easy to raise capital and other tins bt start small.
I am still an undergraduate, bt i know i wud nt be stranded cos i'm equipping mysef wit oda things, if i don't work wit my certificate i wud do oda things,
I know a couple of students who have legitimate businesses and some are even employing odas, i also Know graduates don't work in "oil companies", Banks", "multinationals" bt are self-employed and are even heading towards millions already.

In as much as it is a good idea to be self employed,but how realistic is it given the harsh economic situation being faced in the country(lack of power,access roads,accomodation etc).
To be realistic,when a somebody finishes school,there are family and societal obligations to be met especially if one's parents are not high up in the society,how do you expect somebody like that to start up a barbing salon or some other menial job all in the name of being self employed and how does s/he meet her family obligations especially if the person has siblings looking up to him/her.Normally once you finish school parents wash off their hands.
I finished NYSC last year, and even though I am not totally idle at the moment, but it has not been funny at all.

@Pfaj,you are making over sense,it's like you stole the words from my mind.I dont understand how someone will go to school for 4 years(maybe 6-7 due to strike) and expect a job waiting for him which if it doesnt come he'll be stranded.You are supposed to be EDUCATED,but I find my brothers go to school to get certificates not education.If the government fails you,must you fail yourself?

Yeah this is becoming a major problem all over, no jobs for fresh graduates and they keep churning out graduates. US, France, Spain just more and more people going into universities with not enough positions to fill the supply.

I am curious myself to know about how fresh young nigerian graudates are surviving career wise. Like are people still getting jobs or not? And are these jobs insanely competitive or do you have to know someone as per nigerian factor.

SEFAGO:

Yeah this is becoming a major problem all over, no jobs for fresh graduates and they keep churning out graduates. US, France, Spain just more and more people going into universities with not enough positions to fill the supply.

I am curious myself to know about how fresh young nigerian graudates are surviving career wise. Like are people still getting jobs or not? And are these jobs insanely competitive or do you have to know someone as per nigerian factor.

People aren't getting jobs, at least not much. Even youth corpers are just made to do the NYSC and sent away after the year is over.
The only people that seem to be getting jobs nowadays have some sort of technical experience. Most of the freshers, even the ones with very good degrees, seem to be chasing full time postgrads or searching for just any type of job. It seems to be real bad.

IS THE CREATION OF JOBS PART OF THE NIGERIAN SEVEN POINT AGENDA?
IF NO; WHY NOT?
IF YES; WHAT IS THE PLAN TO CREATE JOBS IN NIGERIA

THIS IS A QUESTION TO POLITICIANS HOW WANT TO BE VOTED INTO OFFICE BY THE YOUTH THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO NEGLECT

The Nigerian situation is mind burgling,
So much needs to be done, So many people available to do it,
But we lack the Physical, moral and Administrative infrastructure
to build a thriving society. Those of you who have jobs just make a difference where you are,
and may the Good Lord help us all.

odiey:

The Nigerian situation is mind burgling,
So much needs to be done, So many people available to do it,

Yet for some reason nothing is getting done.
I fear for countries with little or no industrialization, and a huge population, may well be doomed.
I was just watching the BBC documentary The Chinese Are Coming. Chinese were spotlighted in places like Angola, hundreds of thousands working in various construction projects. Yet the local Angolan people remain poor and unemployed.
I tell you, it's a scary thing.

unemployment is not something new, the best way to fight this situation is by equiping yourselve with tools that will enable you start of as a self employed youth before you get a job.
i know a couple of youths that have gotten the proper training required for certain fields of study and they are all doing ok as business owners. interior designers, fish farmers, artists and artistes.
unemployment is only a challenge that brings out the best in you, its tough though but you can pull through.

Its sad enough that the older generation wants to remain employed and its sadder enough that the younger generation is not getting employed!!!!

Have you ever thought: 'What else can be done to make ends meet without being employed?'

A sure solution to youth unemployment is youth empowerment. but empowerment cannot come without opportunity finding zeal blended with relevant available resources.

You can be employed for a little while to raise funds to set up an empowerment plan for yourself. Those employed don't want to leave because they can't empower themselves outside the month-end income. this is very sad indeed!!!! When those occupying these seats don't want to stand up, how can others get to seat there? we really shouldn't expect the disappointing government to provide employment when they aren't ready to get their 'butts' off those seats!!!!!

You may want to consider the NL subject: 'Tips to getting a career in the Oil N Gas Industry.' on the career section.

it is really a frustrating situation but lets be honest to ourselves; this is not a case of unemployment but a decrease in employment rate. there are still jobs but not as rampant as it used to be.
as a youth we have the advantage of youthful energy and strong will to survive, we only need to bring the jobs to our door steps.
let me give u guys some tips-
1. ONLINE BUSINESS;
you can sell things online to people, advertise your products well and you will not regret this. i know somepeople who sell all sorts of toys online and they doing tremendously well
they had started of being discouraged by their friends but today they cannot believe what they have achieved.

2. INTERIOR DESIGN AND DECO;
you can study interior design at a training institute and have to opportunity to break into every part of the country where building construction is goin on. I HAVE TRAINED PEOPLE in interior design and in under 3 months they have become top class designers, making use of available materials in nigeria to dazzle people. i will make the details available later

3. FISH FARMING;
you might laugh at this one but in all honesty it is a booming market. although u may need some reasonable capital to start this one it is still worth doing.

4. WRITING ARTICLES
you can learn how to write gud articles and make a living doing so. its not difficult, you only need to make out time and get the proper training you require for this.

hey guys i can go on and on but let me leave you to think this through, we dont have to cry unemployment because people are still being employed, people are still doing other businesses and making gud money while others keep crying and looking for consolation. get the necessesary training you require and do something different from your field of study and you will marvel at your achievements.

Wennovation Hub is driven by the idea that high impact innovation is exactly what the most impoverished societies of West Africa need to break out from the cycle of poverty and economic despondency. Wennovation Hub is an implementation of a unique business incubation model that targets budding youth entrepreneurs in West Africa and incentivize them to collaborate while creating innovative solutions to unique environmental, healthcare, education and energy challenges of their immediate environment. If these youth entrepreneurs don’t tackle these problems, no one will.

Apply today at www.wennovationhub.com

Applicants shld equip themselves b4 employers by havin a detailed profile of their academics,career and achievements burnt on dvd.
Dis is done especially when you have an interesting background & also speaks more of your intellect & ability to stand out from other applicants.
However it does not replace your soft copy cv but acts as a visual representation of you.
I hav moved easily from five good jobs with this simple tool, even when employers never advertised, I send them dis dvds but better when they advertise. It tells them your ability to think out of the box.

Why not try a DVD PROFILE today.
TEXT Victor on 08068635483 to book a copy

For both unemployed and professionals

first comes the adrenaline of finishing NYSC service, then the anxiety about job search, and this last for a while with drastic decline in anxiety level when reality sets in, this then metamorphose into chronic depression. many graduate will survive from this, its no curse, not until you change your mind set and start thinking outside the box. The demand for employment is far greater than the supply of employment..so simply create employment.. how can u do that?...Read more by clicking Here

AjanleKoko: This morning I was reading BusinessWeek's cover article 'The Kids Are Not Alright'. It focused on a growing scourge of youth unemployment, which is beginning to assume global proportions. From London to Cairo, Brooklyn to Bombay, there seems to be an emerging trend of youths between the ages of 21 to 35 struggling to find work after leaving school. Vocation and technical training isn't left out; it seems there are simply no jobs any more, for our young people.

Unfortunately the article isn't available for free in written form, but you can listen to the story here.

The article postulates that the recent crises in the MENA region may have been triggered to a large extent by the mass of unemployed youth in those countries. Possibly they are tired of being recruited as terrorists or suicide bombers, and want to confront the problems in their nations head-on. Last year, in Britain, there were the famous anti-Tory protests, occasioned by the hike in college fees.

We in Nigeria aren't left out. More and more youth are leaving school with no prospects of any job, and this has been the trend since the global financial crisis set in.Today, I think we should listen to the affected persons, i.e. Nigerian youth and fresh school leavers, whether based in Nigeria or outside. How have your experiences been, how easy or difficult has it been trying to find a job, how have you been coping, what do you feel about the current situation, etc. We'd like to hear from the youth, the floor is yours. Fire away.

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Evaluation of the Problems and Prospects of Youth Unemployment in Nigeria (A Study of Anambra State)

knowing some of the reasons why federal as well as state are not employing the youths. And nobody understands whether the problem is from the youth to be employed or is from the government that sees not to employ the youth...

http://www.scharticles.com/evaluation-of-the-problems-and-prospects-of-youth-unemployment-in-nigeria/