High Youth Unemployment Rates Research Articles

The Impact of Soft Skills Training on the Employability of Brazilian Youth

This paper explores the impact of soft skills training on the employability of Brazilian youth. Amidst high youth unemployment rates in Brazil, a critical gap exists in essential soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. This study investigates various soft skills training programs, including those by government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector initiatives, assessing their effectiveness in enhancing employability. Through in-depth interviews with program participants, educators, and employers, and detailed case studies of successful training programs, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing the effectiveness of these programs. Findings indicate that high-quality training, program duration and intensity, participant support, and engagement levels significantly impact training outcomes. The study concludes with policy recommendations to integrate soft skills training into the formal education system and enhance collaboration among stakeholders to improve youth employability in Brazil.

Promoting equity in hiring: An evaluation of the HireNext Job Posting Assessment

AbstractThe language used in job postings can deter applicants and contribute to the employment gap, which refers to high rates of youth unemployment occurring simultaneously with high levels of job vacancies. We tested youth preferences for job postings modified using a free online tool that uses natural language processing to make them more appealing to young and diverse candidates. Using data from 1050 respondents aged 18–35 with education below a postsecondary degree, we found a consistent and statistically significant preference for modified postings, irrespective of the extent or types of changes made. More traditionally disadvantaged respondents (i.e., with lower education, lower incomes, disabilities, women, and unemployed youth) displayed a stronger preference for modified postings. These findings suggest that this tool can help employers recruit disadvantaged youth and bridge the employment gap.

Testing Okun’s Law for Turkey (1923-2019)

This study tests Okun’s law for Turkey using annual data gathered for almost a century (1923–2019). In contrast to the rest of the literature focusing on a linear relationship between unemployment and output levels, we argue for a cointegrating nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model. We find clear evidence of an asymmetric cointegrating relationship between unemployment and output as well as asymmetric short-run impacts. Interestingly, these relationships are positive. Asymmetric cumulative dynamic multipliers confirm the results, which can be explained by the structural features of the Turkish unemployment such as the high female and youth unemployment rates, a large agricultural sector, high firing costs, and the high level of informal employment as well as hysteresis. Therefore, effective labour market reforms should consider asymmetries in the long-run unemployment and output relationship as well as asymmetries in their short-run impacts in order to handle jobless recoveries in Turkey.

Understanding Entrepreneurial Intentions among University Students: An Empirical Investigation

In most nations, entrepreneurship has been crucial to economic growth and social stability. India has the world’s biggest proportion of young people in its population, and it is struggling with the high rates of youth unemployment. In this jobless situation, finding new jobs is challenging for students. Therefore, having an entrepreneurial goal is the most crucial mechanism for doing a new business and being self-employed. This research aims to evaluate the perceptions of the Berhampur University students toward entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control on entrepreneurial intentions by using Aizen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and data validation in the state of Odisha setting. This research study population was 1048 students of Berhampur University, and 319 students participated in data collection for research sample but 294 usable sample responses received as of the 2021-2022 academic year. The study used a cross-sectional research design. Purposive sampling was used to gather the data, and a closed-ended questionnaire was given to respondents. Data was cleaned and analysed by applying statistical tool of structural equation modelling to examine at the relationships between the constructs and variables. The research findings revealed a positive relationship between perceived behavioural control and entrepreneurial intentions. Surprisingly, the outcome results were somewhat contrary to TPB because the construct of personal attitude and subjective norm with entrepreneurial intentions did not have any significant relationships with the population of university students. This research will offer fresh perspectives on both academics and policymakers. Universities today play a key role in impacting students’ views and behaviours by offering a platform and an atmosphere that encourage an entrepreneurial spirit. In order to emphasise the advantages of being a young entrepreneur, policymakers should concentrate on establishing a new business and funding start-ups.

The Politics of Demographic Change: Addressing the Youth Bulge in Ivory Coast

This research explores the relationship between youth bulge and political instability, using Ivory Coast as a case study. Despite being one of the world's poorest continents, Africa is experiencing a quick and considerable youth bulge, posing difficulties to political stability. The youth bulge phenomenon, which is defined by a disproportionate increase in the youthful population compared to other age groups, has historically been linked to political upheaval, as evidenced by events such as the Arab Spring. Lack of democracy, economic restrictions, and ethnic or religious discrimination are among the factors that contribute to political instability during a youth bulge. This study uses a qualitative research approach and secondary data analysis to investigate the impact of the youth bulge on the Ivory Coast political scene. The findings suggest a high youth unemployment rate of 35.7%, as well as considerable differences in educational access and political participation among young people. This lack of political engagement exacerbates the confusion, resulting in rebellion and instability. The study emphasizes the significance of tackling socioeconomic difficulties and increasing political inclusion to counteract the negative consequences of the youth bulge on political stability in Ivory Coast and other contexts.

Agripreneurial Intention among Young Business Graduates

The low level of public involvement in the agricultural sector in many developed and developing countries have led to a magnitude of the food security crisis. Malaysia has a large proportion of young people and has a high rate of youth unemployment. One answer is to encourage recent graduates to start businesses in the agriculture sector. This article presents data that examined the intention of the young graduate to venture into the agricultural sector, using attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control to solve the current food security crisis. Data was collected from young graduates who have taken business and entrepreneurship courses at the university. A self-administrated online questionnaire was designed and distributed to these young people. This study contributes to the insight into the young generation of graduates’ intention to venture into the agricultural sector as well as provides suggestions or recommendations for future studies.

Youth entrepreneurship in a rural context: the motivational impact of community and family factors

With high youth unemployment rates in South Africa, strategies to increase youth entrepreneurship have become essential. Youth in rural communities tend to face circumstances which require proper examination to establish how they can be motivated to engage in entrepreneurship. The purpose of this study is to explore the question: How do community and family factors in a rural context influence youth to engage in entrepreneurship? To address this research question, a case study research design was adopted, and data were collected through focus group discussions with youth entrepreneurs in a rural township community. The fifteen-member focus group discussion provided evidence that youths in rural contexts face unique challenges and scenarios that demand specific consideration. Essentially, it was established that the community and the families of the entrepreneurs provided the motivation to overcome circumstances and to achieve. Community elders and leaders were found to be critical in influencing the psyche and entrepreneurial behavior of the youths. Resources and entrepreneurial ideas and skills were also found to be passed from generation to generation through inheritance systems or through sharing. Rural communities were further found to be endowed with various resources whose exploitation was based on the collective culture in rural communities. Families were also found to be sources of number of entrepreneurial traits such as risk taking, desire for independence or the need to achieve. This study recommends that both public and private institutions in rural communities should promote the welfare of rural communities and families so that imperative entrepreneurial behavior emerges.

Implikacije za zapošljavanje u periodu dve krize - komparativna proučavanja Balkana i EU

One of the main problems the world is currently dealing with is unemployment. The characteristics of the labor market in the Republic of Serbia are long-term high unemployment rate, unfavorable qualification structure, high youth unemployment rate, regionally unequally distributed unemployment, and insufficient measures of active state employment policy. These characteristics point to complex issues that can be characterized as a type of labor market disparity. The problem is that the existing labor supply is finding it increasingly difficult to adapt to the changing demand for labor, which is associated with growing competition in the global market and accelerated technological change. The fact that Serbia's unemployment rates are higher than those of the EU's member states is particularly significant given that the Republic of Serbia's employment policy's primary objectives are the establishment of an effective, stable, and sustainable employment growth trend and the harmonization of employment policy and labor market institutions with the EU acquis. Insufficient use of human resources of a country has a direct impact on its economy and national income, which directly has negative repercussions on the living standards of the population and increasing poverty.

The influence of cultural capital and educational milestones in Gaokao

Following the global economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s economy also experienced significant repercussions. In light of this economic context, an imperative need arises for research to comprehensively assess the employment landscape. Given that the youth population constitutes a pivotal demographic in the labor market, a meticulous examination of their job-seeking dynamics assumes paramount importance, as it holds the potential to catalyze China’s economic development. A pivotal determinant in securing desirable employment opportunities is the possession of credential certificates, elevating the significance of gaining admission to prestigious universities. Central to this endeavor is the performance in the Gaokao, the final examination that serves as the gateway to higher education. Furthermore, the quality of education received by students can significantly impact their ability to excel in the job market. Drawing upon existing literature on the Gaokao, as well as government data concerning youth unemployment rates and high school attendance, this study establishes a compelling connection between city type and cultural capital levels on student behavior during the Gaokao. Moreover, it underscores the critical role played by this milestone examination in contributing to the persistently high youth unemployment rates. These findings shed light on the intricate interplay between education, societal factors, and employment outcomes, which is essential for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to bolster China’s economic resilience in a post-pandemic era.

PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING PUPILS KIDNAPPING AS PERCEIVED BY PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Nigeria currently has more than 10 million children out of school and the school attacks and kidnappings have only made the situation worse. The study investigated psychosocial factors influencing pupil kidnapping as perceived by primary school teachers. The study adopted a descriptive research design of survey type. The study population comprised all primary school teachers in the study area. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to choose one hundred and thirty-five respondents who participated in the study. A researcher-structured questionnaire which was validated and tested for reliability was adopted for the study. A coefficient of 0.87r was obtained using the test-retest method. The instrument was administered by the researchers and three trained research assistants. Inferential statistics of chi-square used to analyse the hypotheses postulated for this study at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of this study revealed that youth unemployment influenced pupils' kidnapping because the calculated chi-square value of 61.23 was greater than the table value of 16.92 @ 0.05 alpha level, and religious fanaticism influenced pupils' kidnapping because the calculated chi-square value of 57.34 was greater than the table value of 16.92 @ 0.05 alpha level. The study concluded that the high rate of youth unemployment in our society influences pupils' kidnapping and misinterpretation of statements in holy books mislead some people to engage in kidnapping activity. The researchers recommend among others that the government at all levels should create more job opportunities for the youths graduating from school to reduce the number of young people engage in kidnapping activities due to their inability to secure employment.

Changing Skill Formation in Greece and Italy – Crisis-Induced Reforms in Light of Common Institutional Legacies

Context: After the Eurozone crisis unfolded a decade ago, comparative political economy has investigated reforms of public administration, labour market, welfare state and economic policy particularly in Southern European nations which were hit hardest by the crisis. However, analyses of skill formation reform, particularly vocational education and training (VET), have been scant, despite a common problem pressure for reforms emanating from stubbornly high rates of youth unemployment and similar legacies of statist VET. Approach: We investigate VET reforms brought underway in Greece and Italy during and in the aftermath of the crisis, asking how far apprenticeship-like forms of learning within their VET systems were strengthened. Empirically, we base our analysis on primary and secondary sources, having conducted semi-structured expert interviews in Greece and Italy in 2019. Results: We find that both countries attempted to strengthen the role of apprenticeship and work-based learning, but that politics differed across the two cases in the context of the Eurozone crisis. While in Italy, reforms were 'internalised' and shaped by domestic politics, Greek reforms were largely driven exogenously by the negotiations with the Troika. Conclusion: Although Italy and Greece have undertaken reforms to reduce the dominance of the state in VET provision by expanding apprenticeships and work-based learning, these do not amount to large scale changes to the dominant logic of school-based VET provision. In order to boost their potential in terms of practical learning both countries would need to continue on their reform pathways.

Creating Entrepreneurs via Social Media Platforms and Employment Generation in Nigeria

This paper explores the potential need and benefits inherent in the use of social media as an instrument for creating entrepreneurs and generating employment amongst youths in Nigeria given the high youth unemployment rate. 92 youths who are social media users selected through survey responded to structured questionnaire via Google forms. The data was analysed using statistical descriptive tools and Chi square test. Findings revealed that in Nigeria, social media can promote on-line trading and create a source of livelihood for youths though, the enormous potentials of doing business through social media platforms locally and internationally are fairly explored. Also, trading via social media significantly impact employment creation and such trading does not significantly increase profits and reduce cost of doing business. The study recommended a reliable, affordable telecommunication network and combined efforts of government and the private sector to facilitate online trading and training in ICT entrepreneurship skills.

The Dynamics of Youth Employment and Empowerment in Agriculture and Rural Development in South Africa: A Scoping Review.

Over the years, South Africa has made significant investments aimed at transforming the agricultural sector to deliver on rural economic development and job creation. These investments have had varying levels of success; still, what is worrying is the high youth unemployment rate which is amongst the highest globally. We conducted a scoping review using the PRISMA-P guidelines to identify the challenges youth face in accessing sustainable employment in the agriculture sector. Peer-reviewed studies were retrieved from online databases (Web of Science, Cab Direct, and Science Direct) for 1994-2021. The findings showed that youth are still facing significant challenges in the demand and supply side of the labour market and lack of inclusivity in policy formulation and implementation, limiting their involvement in agriculture and rural development initiatives. Policies and strategies responding to these challenges exist, and the spectrum of support services provided are primarily focused on entrepreneurship. Yet, the implementation of programs and initiatives has not been successful. This could be attributed to the obstacles persisting in the sociopolitical environment in SA, causing additional barriers to program implementation. Therefore, to enhance youth involvement in agriculture and rural development, there is a need to connect more rural youth to support services, local employment programmes, and youth inclusion in policy formulation processes. Additionally, the focus of policy and programs should be broadened to cater to different youth knowledge and skill profiles.

Exploring the high murder rate in South Africa

The objects of this research are: first, to explain some of the causes of high murder rates in South Africa. Second, to refute the labelling of South Africa as the murder capital of the world. Third, exploring some alternative ways to violence resulting in deaths.
 The author investigated the following problems: murder done predominately by men, the inefficiency or shortcomings of the police to investigate murder successfully and lack of reports showing a drastic reduction of murders rates, possible due to lenient sanctions given by the courts.
 The main results of the research are:
 First, South Africa has been incorrectly referred to as the murder capital of the world. A label that scares would be visitors away from the country. This misleading labelling turned out to be factually incorrect according to several reports. Second, there are myriads of reasons why the death rates are very high in South Africa namely: varieties and normalization of violence; socio-economic inequalities; high youth unemployment rates; alcohol and drugs; culture of violence; easy access to firearms; lenient prison sentence; membership of gangsters; ineffective police investigation units; Mental illnesses or psychotic disorders and satanic beliefs.
 The area of practical use of the research: is for all citizens, directly or indirectly affected by police and safer communities. Criminal justice students in higher institutions and criminal justice practitioners, government officials, and policymakers.

ENHANCING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION FOR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS: THE ROLE OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN PRE-PRIMARY AND PRIMARY EDUCATION

The rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria, no doubt calls for concern. Moreover, innovative and creative skills seem to be lacking among unemployed youths. Consequently, social vices in Nigeria such as armed robbery, extortion through blackmail, and kidnapping and most recently, internet fraud have become rampant. The lack of innovative and creative skills among most of the youth could be adduced to their foundation or upbringing Education atre-primary and primary schools in Nigeria overlook the role of foundational creative and innovative skill development, hence the clustering of curriculum inre-primary and primary schools. Currently, in a globally competitive world of ours, the average Nigerian child needs to explore his/her environment and be nurtured to think in a creative and innovative manner in order to globally compete favorably basCurriculum Developmened on current national and global needs. Making use of secondary data, this study argues that the high youth unemployment rate in Nigeria could be traced to lack of proper curriculum development from the Pre-Primary and Primary schools. This paper posits that the best way to enhance creativity and innovation among the Nigerian youths is to expose them to acquire these skills from their Pre-Primary school education level. Among the recommendations is that there should be a review of the curriculum at the elementary level to minimize the curriculum contents and increase the co-curriculum activities. Emphasis on assessment of learning should be more on vocational skills acquisition than grading and certification.

“Some of them are afraid of the language”: Perceptions of TVET college staff about the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among Engineering students

Despite the fact that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are seen as instrumental in addressing South Africa’s labour market skills shortages and high youth unemployment rate, the extremely low throughput and certification rates at these institutions prevent colleges from achieving this goal. The vast majority of students enrolled at TVET colleges come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and speak English as a second or additional language, yet English is the language through which teaching is conducted at all South African TVET colleges. Prior research has shown that there is a definite relationship between poor academic performance (AP) and learning in an additional language. Existing research of this nature has focused on schools and universities, but there is a dearth of research about the relationship between AP and English Language Proficiency (ELP) in the TVET sector. In order to address this gap, a mixed method study was conducted at one Eastern Cape TVET College to investigate whether the poor AP of National Vocational Certificate (NC (V)) Level 2 Engineering students can be related to their ELP. The initial quantitative phase of the study confirmed prior research by showing that NC (V) students’ ELP is indeed significantly associated with their throughput rate and their performance in each specific subject. This article reports in particular on the second qualitative phase of the study, which was based on interviews with TVET college staff involved in teaching Engineering students. The most significant finding is that teaching staff, who daily work at the proverbial coal face of TVET training, are from their practical experience, very well aware of the fact that there is a crucial link between the ELP and AP of their students, that they employ a variety of strategies to address associated problems, but that they feel these are often insufficient and ineffective in the face of students trying to learn in a second language. This study extends the research about the role of language as a cognitive tool in learning in the Engineering disciplines. It also provides an opportunity to rethink the hegemonic, normalised position of English in Engineering studies and consider possibilities to mobilise indigenous languages as resources for epistemological access in higher education.

“Some of them are afraid of the language”: Perceptions of TVET college staff about the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among Engineering students

Despite the fact that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are seen as instrumental in addressing South Africa’s labour market skills shortages and high youth unemployment rate, the extremely low throughput and certification rates at these institutions prevent colleges from achieving this goal. The vast majority of students enrolled at TVET colleges come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and speak English as a second or additional language, yet English is the language through which teaching is conducted at all South African TVET colleges. Prior research has shown that there is a definite relationship between poor academic performance (AP) and learning in an additional language. Existing research of this nature has focused on schools and universities, but there is a dearth of research about the relationship between AP and English Language Proficiency (ELP) in the TVET sector. In order to address this gap, a mixed method study was conducted at one Eastern Cape TVET College to investigate whether the poor AP of National Vocational Certificate (NC (V)) Level 2 Engineering students can be related to their ELP. The initial quantitative phase of the study confirmed prior research by showing that NC (V) students’ ELP is indeed significantly associated with their throughput rate and their performance in each specific subject. This article reports in particular on the second qualitative phase of the study, which was based on interviews with TVET college staff involved in teaching Engineering students. The most significant finding is that teaching staff, who daily work at the proverbial coal face of TVET training, are from their practical experience, very well aware of the fact that there is a crucial link between the ELP and AP of their students, that they employ a variety of strategies to address associated problems, but that they feel these are often insufficient and ineffective in the face of students trying to learn in a second language. This study extends the research about the role of language as a cognitive tool in learning in the Engineering disciplines. It also provides an opportunity to rethink the hegemonic, normalised position of English in Engineering studies and consider possibilities to mobilise indigenous languages as resources for epistemological access in higher education.

Malaysian Apprenticeship Implementation: Issues and Challenges Towards Effective Employers Engagement

While the jobs recovery is underway in many countries, persistently high rates of youth unemployment remain a significant labour market challenge. In response, there has been increasing interest in apprenticeships both as a route into employment and also in raising the skill levels of the workforce. Apprenticeship is one of the methods to promote young people's employment. It is historically prevalent and successful in Europe and is emulated in other countries around the world to promote employment especially amongst youth. Apprenticeships and other work-based training opportunities are valuable training pathways for improving the transition from school-to-work. At the local level, apprenticeship programmes can contribute to regional development objectives and provide local employers with the skilled workforce they require to remain competitive and create jobs. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the currents issues and challenges faced by Malaysian industrial employers in employer engagement of apprenticeship programmes through action research and descriptive studies. This action-based research as a methodology is to gather the responses of Malaysian local companies’ experiences in the manufacturing sector, across Multinational Companies (MNC), Government-Linked Corporations (GLC) and Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SME) and identify the key issues and solutions that could create a beneficial prospect for TVET graduates and participating companies. Both descriptive quantitative and qualitative data from the survey questionnaires and interviews, respectively, were employed. 71 companies involved in the online survey and 6 manufacturing companies participated in the interviews and discussions as well as brainstorming. From the perspective ofindustries, this study found that the main key issues and challenges are: scarcity of competent industries instructors and coaches; provision of CPD; availability of apprenticeship bridging programs; teaching capacity; skills to deliver high quality employer focused apprenticeship; and industries and training providers collaboration. These six main issues are fundamentally systemic and highly intertwined in nature and will have to be resolved by all the stakeholders based on an agreeable working framework of apprenticeship in Malaysia. The findings of this study could provide policy makers and social partners with specific learnings to remove barriers to engaging employers in apprenticeship programmes, broaden access to training opportunities and improve the economic development and labour market performance of local areas.

Whole youth development and employment: Exploring the nexus using qualitative data from a Kenyan study of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions

Investment in sub-Sahara Africa's (SSA’s) youth through effective capacity development, involving adoption of contemporary skills development approaches, is integral in alleviating the region’s high youth unemployment rates as it will equip the youth with skills needed for employment. Skills that are needed are those that holistically develop the youth skills-set, including technical/hard and soft-skills, dubbed whole youth development (WYD) skills. This paper thus explores Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students’ understanding of soft-skills and its development. The paper utilizes data collected from a TVET study in Kenya that was carried in 9 of the 47 counties, targeting learners aged 15–24 years. The selected counties were those that had national polytechnics for national representation, except one (Turkana county), which was selected to represent youth from marginalized counties. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study. The findings indicate that there is a good understanding of soft-skills among the targeted respondents, with extra-curricular activities playing a key role in promoting TVET students’ soft-skills. However, inadequate human resource and low level of awareness on soft-skills among instructors contribute to inadequate soft-skills learning. This calls for a concerted effort among key education stakeholders on the development of instructors’ and institutions’ capacities for a plausible soft-skills outcome.

Evidence for a YETI? A Cautionary Tale from South Africa's Youth Employment Tax Incentive

ABSTRACTIn 2014 the South African government implemented a youth employment tax incentive (YETI) scheme to address the high rate of youth unemployment. Its adoption has been hailed as a success story for evidence‐based policy. This article critically assesses that claim, focusing on the randomized trial of a wage‐subsidy voucher that was used to justify the adoption of the policy and econometric analyses of the incentive's efficacy that were used to justify its renewal. That evidence is shown to be materially flawed. The design of the randomized trial meant that its relevance to the policy question was limited and critical issues pertaining to the estimated effect of the intervention, external validity and scale‐up were not addressed. The process was similarly flawed, with evidence only made public after critical legislative decisions had been taken. Analysis of that process shows how supposedly rigorous evidence was used to obscure the limitations and risks of the proposal in service of pre‐existing positions, vested interests and political imperatives. This implies a high opportunity cost for the tax expenditures incurred through the incentive. The South African YETI thereby serves as a cautionary tale on randomized trials and the political economy of evidence‐based policy, particularly in developing countries.