The Causes of youth unemployment among tertiary graduates in Ethiopia

Abstract

This study examines the major causes and trends of youth unemployment among tertiary graduates by considering the gap between the demand and supply side of labor market. Graduate youth unemployment becomes the very critical causes for many nationwide problems in Ethiopia. Youth age groups whether educated or non-skilled can be the reasons of an economic growth if the labor force could be managed properly and used as a key resource for development. The commitment of the Ethiopian government to expand higher education institutions/ universities in all regions of the country contributed for the availability of the more educated youths regardless of the skills required by the private sector and public sectors. Most of the graduates are facing a problem of secured jobs both from government and private sector sides. This makes the youth and their families frustrated and cut their hopes of leading a better life after graduation. The study was mainly based on descriptive analysis (both qualitative and quantitative data). 637 graduate youths are selected by multi-stage stratified random sampling technique to collect primary data. The respondents were accessed both physically and online using social media from different areas of the country via questionnaire and interviews. The data collected through different techniques were examined for that reason to the objectives of the study. The results of the study showed that lack of entrepreneurship skill, low education quality, huge rural urban migration, mismatch of skill with the labour market and higher population growth were among the main causes of tertiary graduate unemployment in Ethiopia.