COPING MECHANISM AMONG UNEMPLOYED GRADUATES
ABSTRACT
This paper explores how
unemployed graduates
cope through various
strategies.
Unemployment in Nigeria,
particularly in the form of
graduate unemployment, has become pronounced in the last two decades due primarily to upsurge in the output from
tertiary education and inelastic labour absorptive capacity of the Nigerian labour market for the services of university
and polytechnic graduates. The study employed both primary and secondary sources of data collection such: as
survey design, interviews and journal reviews. This research recommends that youth should engage in profitable
activities such acquiring soft skills and expertise while still searching for jobs rather than sitting idle home.
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Unemployment among graduates in Nigeria is one of the most critical problems the country is facing. Nigeria is a
country passing through multiple transitions, form the period of colonialism to independence, from illiteracy to literacy,
subsistence agriculture to monetary economy, rural life to urban cosmopolitan life, form the day of employment to the
days of mass unemployment. Year after year in Nigeria, the increasing number of graduates joining the labour market
keeps rising geometrically and any hope for them to secure jobs looks pessimistic. The tempo of economic
development does not keep pace with the rate of educational advancement. That a developing country should suffer
from surplus labour is hardly surprising, but generally, unemployment is one thing and graduate unemployment is
another. Unemployment has in all their ramifications come to stay with us since the era of oil boom.
According to Daily Star, June 30 1986, unemployment is described as a situation where there are few jobs to go
round the great number of people willing to work”. Here, it could be both educated and uneducated people in the
country. Graduates unemployment has become some of the basic economic social and political problems facing so
many states in Nigeria recently. The graduates in this context are’ generally the school leavers from our post primary
and higher schools of learning. This pitiable “labour forces” that are left redundant are ever ready to put in their best
services in any kind of jobs, but would not be called upon to do so because of the situation in the country.
In Lagos metropolis, there has been a persistent increase in the number of unemployed graduates of institutions of
higher learning. It is a problem that has consistently forced itself on the minds of different people in different ages. It is
time we redressed our mind sincerely to the issue of graduate unemployment. The past government officials in the
state had failed to give an accurate employment figure of the labour force available. and this has perpetuated to pose
some dangerous threats to the socio economic stability of the state than usual.
On this note, therefore, it becomes imperative to give a brief definition of unemployment. According to Wikipedia,
Unemployment (or joblessness) occurs when people are without work and actively seeking work. The unemployment
rate is a measure of the prevalence of unemployment and it is calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of
unemployed individuals by all individuals currently in the labor force(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment)). Also, according to Nigeria Statesman May 28, 1986, “Unemployment
connotes the scarcity of job both in public and private sectors. This may be traceable to mismanagement of
productive resources, immobility of labour between jobs, economic crisis like oil doom etc. especially in our
predominately capitalist economy.
Unlike in the past, graduates of schools of higher learning now roam the streets and motor parks in search of nonexisting job opportunities and this has created immeasurable number of social and economic problems in the status
quo of the society. This problem therefore, is of staggering magnitude because idleness influences all our actions and
designs. It corrupts the graduates and is the bane of the middle ages. This research is also intended to find out the
root causes of the increasing number of unemployed graduates and the strategies designed by graduates to cope
with it.
It is of paramount importance to stress that no other economic problem needed more immediate attention than finding
job for the growing number of unemployed graduates. In the light of these problems, the former Head of State and
Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces General Sani Abacha in his 1st October, 1995 broadcast lifted the ban on
employment. There is no doubt that the country has witnessed an upsurge in crime such as drug addiction and
sophisticated armed robberies while broken homes, malnutrition and many other social vices are on the increase too.
Other factors that contributed to this situation also remain an integral part of this research. Such factors include the
expansion of the existing schools and establishment of new schools without a collateral increase in industries to
absorb produced graduates, the behaviour of graduate ‘themselves towards jobs like farming construction of roads,
bridges, school taxi cars and also the over-dependence of a mono-export-oriented economy etc. the efforts of the
previous government in areas of infusion of skillorientation in educational scheme will be scrutinized in order to have
a balanced an analysis. Did the government evolves stringent measures aimed at eradicating problem of
unemployment in the state or did they apply the myopic machineries which appealed to policy makers because of
case or execution?
The answer to this question with relevance to the historical background of Akala area of Mushin, Lagos requires
meticulous evaluation in order to find a lasting solution. The researcher will therefore, use questionnaire and review of
past work in the same direction. Most regrettably, however, there is scarcity of domestic data relating to the number of
unemployed graduate of school of higher learning.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The unabated increase in the rate of unemployment among the youth and how they cope with it, with particular
emphasis on higher institution graduate has been a source of concern to the entire nation. More so, being aware of
the social vices that this situation could result in makes it more disabusing. This situation is a dilemma when we
consider many policies, and legislation so far put in place by the government to cub this mince and how ineffective
they have been as an instrument to reduce unemployment. The researcher, having considered the above and
decided to study the under listed problems with the view to pinpoint the cause, coping strategies and possibly
proffering lasting solutions to them.
- The increase in the rate of unemployment amongst higher institution graduate and how they are coping with it.
- Understanding the capacity of the university graduate we have today including those who have studied in very
essential field which before now was not so. Nevertheless they suffer unemployment. - The increase in the scope of private sector participation which should result in the increase in employment of
university graduate has not been true in our situation. - The federal government recently increased the capital base of the bank of industry so as to allow more graduate
to participate in the federal government graduate loan scheme, with the aim of being self-employed, but this has not
yielded any meaningful result or reduced the unemployment toll. - 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The general objectives of this study is to determine the coping strategies among unemployed youths in Akala, Mushin
Local government area.
The specific objectives include; - Understanding the socio-economic implications of unemployment.
- Identifying the coping mechanisms among unemployed graduate.
To recommend and suggest measures at reducing unemployment in Lagos State in Nigeria. - 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- How does it feel to be an unemployed graduate?
- Are there unemployed graduates?
- Are there enough jobs to absorb graduates or there are graduates that are lazy in getting available jobs?
- What kind of skills makes a graduate employable?
COPING MECHANISM AMONG UNEMPLOYED GRADUATES