Opinion is divided on whether young
graduates should depend on ‘small
jobs’ for sustenance, writes MAUREEN
AZUH
Yusuf Johnson (not real name) has
dreams of becoming a successful
banker. He worked hard to achieve this
dream while studying Economics at
Lagos State University.
As a student, he stayed up late many
nights to study, so he could make a
good result.
He says, “I knew the competition was
stiff. So, I put in extra efforts, which
paid off anyway, because I graduated
with one of the best grades.”
But his dream has not been actualised.
He currently works as a driver to a
young lady he calls ‘madam’ and goes
home with a monthly pay of N25, 000,
which he says is barely enough for him
to take care of his needs as a bachelor.
“It’s a small job,” he says, “but I have to
work to make ends meet while I search
for something better. Even if the money
is small, I think I’m better than
thousands of people out there who are
unemployed.”
Johnson’s ‘small job’ mirrors the
situation of many young Nigerian
graduates who struggle with menial
jobs to make ends meet.
According to economists, small jobs
drive the economy as it needs entry-
level workers to grow and succeed,
thereby creating jobs for a large
number of people when put together.
It is argued that these jobs have been
known, all over the world, to be engines
of economic growth and contributors to
employment generation, wealth
creation, poverty alleviation and food
security.
The World Development Report 2013
states that poverty falls as people work
their way out of hardship and that jobs
empower women to invest more in their
children. It also says societies flourish
as jobs foster diversity and provide
alternatives to conflict.
But as much as small jobs and
businesses drive the economies of
nations, can domestic employment
such as jobs that include domestic
maids, chauffeur and valets, which are
becoming more structured in the
society, be classified as economy-
driving jobs?
Senior Lecturer, Department of Urban
and Regional Planning, University of
Lagos, Dr. Taibat Lawanson, says any
honest job by which a person derives a
living can be called an employment, be
it domestic or commercial.
She says it does not matter whether
people consider it as dignifying or not
as long as it is legal and within the
limits of the laws that govern the
society.
She says, “There are many unemployed
graduates out there who are re-
inventing the outlook of certain jobs.
And you would discover that the more
structured a job is, the more that
accrues to the beneficiary; it does not
matter whether it is domestic or not.
What matters is earning a living the
decent way.
“For instance, if an unemployed
graduate gets out there to drive a
commercial vehicle, he may not get the
value for his labour at the end of the
day but if an agency is involved, the
agency will fulfil all obligations,
including paying for overtime. This in a
way reduces the much talked about
unemployment.”
However, the Director- General, Lagos
Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Mr. Muda Yusuf, says the beauty of a
job is in doing something that one has
competence in, other than just “filling
in the gap.”
According to him, any graduate who is
subjected to a domestic employment
for any reason or under any
circumstance is under-employed.
“Small jobs should apply to lesser
educated people, like those without
formal education or those with
qualifications such as ordinary level
certificate. These are jobs that do not
require skills. On the other hand, a
graduate should deliver a better value
for his society. He should be seen to be
engaged in something that he has
competence in,” he says.
He adds that a small job for graduates
is a ‘mismatch’ because graduates
should be given the opportunity to
express their idea in jobs that provide
satisfaction.
“If there are situations where graduates
are employed as drivers, maids, valets
and what have you, that is a mismatch.
We should have an economy where the
environment is right for jobs to be
created for those who are seemingly
afraid of entrepreneurship and these
domestic jobs cannot create such an
atmosphere,” he says.
Yusuf says chambers of commerce and
the private sector should collaborate
with government at all levels to create
the much-needed environment for
small businesses rather than small jobs
to thrive.
“I have always advocated an
environment for small business to
thrive. Government needs to create this
environment in order to encourage
productivity of enterprise. Productivity
of enterprise is very low now and that’s
because there are infrastructural
conditions to be met, as well as funding
and other institutional problems. If
productivity is low, definitely small
businesses cannot grow to employ
other people; such businesses may
even die off,” he says.
Yusuf says the greatest challenge to the
growth of small business and which
should be addressed urgently is
security. According to him, a lot of small
businesses have been lost, especially in
the North where there is a high level of
insecurity.
“If these things are put in place, small
business would thrive and there would
be no need for small jobs, as
employment would be generated. Look
at Nollywood, for instance, who would
have thought that what started as ‘a
joke’, would generate so much
employment 10 to 15 years after,” he
says.
Despite her support for small jobs as a
dignified means of earning a living,
Lawanson says government should
implement their poverty alleviation
policies the way they are on paper.
“This would boost micro-businesses and
create jobs for the unemployed,” she
says.

SOURCE: www.punchng.com/business/young-graduates-opt-for-small-jobs-to-survive/