Labour market transitions of young women and men in sub-Saharan Africa

This report presents the results of the School-to-work transition surveys (SWTS) implemented in eight sub-Saharan African countries – Benin, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia – in 2012 or 2013. Results show that unemployment of young people remains a matter of concern, but that issues relating to the quality of work available to young people are of even greater relevance to the design and implementation of policy interventions.This ILO report shows that while youth unemployment rates increase with the level of education, it is the young people with less education who are disadvantaged in terms of wages and access to stable employment.

The less educated are more likely to be self-employed or accept lower wages. In all but one of the countries surveyed - Malawi - a young person with the lowest level of education is the least likely to be unemployed.

Unemployment among university graduates is a growing concern, as the supply of qualified youth exceeds the capacity of the modern economy to produce the professional jobs they expect. Enterprises increasingly expect new hires to have high levels of education but are also reluctant to hire recent graduates, citing their lack of technical expertise and work experience.

But that doesn’t mean students should drop out of university. “While unemployment may be higher among the better educated, the results clearly show that investing in education brings positive returns to youth in terms of wages and access to the ‘better’ jobs,” according to the report titled “Labour market transitions of young women and men in sub-Saharan Africa.”

For millions of young people in sub-Saharan Africa, even the more educated ones, a stable, well-paid job remains an impossible dream. Informality and vulnerable employment is the reality for the vast majority of young workers in the region, the report said.

“The lack of prospects for secure employment, along with increased education, access to modern technology and exposure to the perceived advantages of developed economies, create the risk of frustration among youth,” the report said. “This, in turn, can culminate in political unrest and external migration.”

On average, more than 50 per cent of the youth in the eight countries are working, but the quality of employment is often poor, making it difficult for the youth to make the most of their economic potential.