Unemployment Crisis Research Articles

Idle Time and Its Repercussions on Youth in South Africa: A Recipe of Unemployment Crisis

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the repercussions of idle time on youthful population through critically analyzing the status quo of youth unemployment in South Africa. Youth unemployment has become a major source of concern in South Africa and around the world. The unemployment challenge has thus left many young people in limbo, a state of misery, idleness, and social death. It subsequently exposed many young South African to socially immoral activities such as, inter alia, drug and alcohol use, deceit and theft. Idle time, the period people wastefully spend doing nothing productive, vehemently led many young people to perish, and ostensibly resulted into the economic stagnation in South Africa. This paper fastened its philosophical argument on the biblical aphorism that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper adopted a qualitative desktop-based research methodology as well as document analysis as data analysis tool. Findings: The results established that the persistent challenge of youth unemployment has pushed South Africa’s economic development into a downward spiral toward underdevelopment and vulnerability. Therefore, the country lacks a holistic approach to address idleness and unemployment, to unlock the potential of its youthful population, stimulate economic growth and development. Implications/Originality/Value: It is therefore concluded that youth unemployment has become a serious dilemma in South Africa, that it subjected majority of young people to idleness and encourages them to engage in immoral activities such as crime, making them more susceptible to the onset of drug and alcohol use. The paper recommended that the government should adopt effective mechanisms to engage unemployed youth into the economic mainstream, to enhance development and reduce idle time tragedies.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Strategy for Job Creation in the Era of Unemployment Crises: A Qualitative Study of Kamhlushwa Township, Mpumalanga Province

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Strategy for Job Creation in the Era of Unemployment Crises: A Qualitative Study of Kamhlushwa Township, Mpumalanga Province

Effects of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics on Human Labour: A Systematic Review

AbstractThis systematic literature review paper, written by Channarong Intahchomphoo, Jason Millar, Odd Erik Gundersen, Christian Tschirhart, Kris Meawasige and Hojjat Salemi, examines academic research publications to learn about the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on human labour. Papers were collected from three academic databases: Scopus, Web of Science and ABI/INFORM Collection. From 710 papers, 159 papers were included. The article finds that the effects of AI and robotics on human labour can be categorised as: (i) positive effects, (ii) negative effects, and (iii) neutral or unsure effects. The positive effects have five reasons regarding AI and robotics’ potential to: do dangerous work, do tedious work with high efficiency and accuracy, do some aspects of computing work, do work that human labour does not want to do and be used to deal with the labour shortage, and help to reduce business production and maintenance costs. The negative effects are based on two reasons, that AI and robotics will take over human labour in part or entirely, thereby creating unemployment crises, and will not only replace manually repetitive jobs from human labour but also cognitive jobs, causing human labour to fear that their jobs will be replaced by AI and robotics. The neutral and unsure effects are based on various unique arguments. The findings of this review are used to suggest future research for academic communities and practical recommendations to legal professionals and policy makers.

Necessity entrepreneurship: A journey from unemployment to self‐employment

AbstractThis study provides a comprehensive examination of necessity entrepreneurship, a concept distinct from its counterpart, opportunity entrepreneurship. Necessity entrepreneurship emerges from the compelling need to address economic hardship or unemployment, contrasting with opportunity entrepreneurship, which is driven by the pursuit of new market opportunities. The backdrop of this study is anchored in the escalating unemployment crisis and its implications for sustainable economic growth and the attainment of sustainable development goals. Through an integrative review combining bibliometric–content analysis of 96 publications, following the PRISMA protocol, and a detailed case analysis of 10 globally recognized entrepreneurs who embarked on their ventures driven by necessity, this study unravels the critical factors fueling the rise of necessity entrepreneurship. The findings delineate the relationship between necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship, highlighting how an entrepreneurial orientation can serve as a pivotal link. This orientation not only mitigates the adverse effects of unemployment but also propels the economy toward sustainable growth, thereby contributing significantly to the sustainable development goals. The insights derived from this study traverse multiple domains including entrepreneurial orientation, socio‐economic factors, as well as innovation and digitalization, offering a granular perspective on business policy, entrepreneurial ecosystems, the disparate impacts on developed versus developing nations, and the role of innovation in dynamic entrepreneurship. Through a conceptual framework, this study elucidates how entrepreneurial orientation can effectively bridge the gap between the unemployment crisis and sustainable economic growth. Therefore, this study not only enriches the academic discourse on necessity entrepreneurship but also provides pragmatic insights for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and scholars, emphasizing the crucial role of entrepreneurship in navigating economic and social challenges.

Seri-Entrepreneurship: Current Status and Potential Opportunities

The ability of a country or an area to prosper economically is largely depend on entrepreneurship, especially in light of the current unemployment crisis and anticipated technological advancements. The most important issues in the growth of entrepreneurship are not just how to offer chances to entrepreneurs, but also how to provide them substantial support so they may achieve greater success. To this, cultivating mulberry plants, production of disease-free layings, raising of young (chawki) and late-age silkworms for cocoon production, reeling of cocoons (silk reeling) for yarn production, throwing (spinning, warp, and weft production), wet processing (dyeing and printing), weaving (fabric production), modern (computer-aided) and traditional (textile designing) textile marketing and so on are just a few of the varied range of activities that make up the Indian silk industry. Additionally, sericulture products and bye-products have become more significant in the biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries, in recent years, for the creation of high-value new goods. Therefore, there is a great deal of opportunity for successful business in the sericulture and seribiotechnology sectors to grow. These opportunities help young people and unemployed women to become successful business owners who both support the workforce and work for themselves. This can help address the issues of unemploymentstandards and in India’s rural and urban areas as well as elevate socioeconomic levels.

How do we secure a future for the youth in South African agriculture?

ABSTRACT Despite agriculture being the largest employer of young people, South Africa faces a youth unemployment crisis. The youth are increasingly disinterested in agriculture and often view it as a last resort in the absence of alternative employment opportunities. This paper explores strategies to change these negative perceptions and attract young people to agriculture. Drawing on twenty-two studies conducted over the past decade, national grade 12 statistics, University enrolments, yearbook reviews, and twenty job advertisements, I identify five key areas for intervention. First, the youth interested in agripreneurship need support to access financial and physical resources. They also need training offered jointly by tertiary institutions and the government. Second, agricultural education in primary and secondary schools will likely attract and retain youths to agriculture. Third, we need to reform the education system at all levels to ensure holistic student development opportunities, including the technical and soft skills required by agricultural sector employers. Fourth, our marketing strategies need reform; collaboration with the media is necessary to increase awareness and change youths’ perceptions about agriculture and agricultural careers. Five, we need to strengthen the role of agricultural associations to bridge the gap between the agricultural sector and secondary and tertiary education institutions.

Solving the Gordian knot: dealing with Spain’s unemployment crisis with a job guarantee program

Spain has experienced a history of chronically high and intractable unemployment. The Job Guarantee has been theorized as a policy proposal that aims to produce tight full employment and enhances macroeconomic and price stability. This paper provides an overview of some of the explanations to the causes of unemployment and the performance of traditional active labor management policies. A simulation of a job guarantee programme for the historic 1999–2019 period is provided using an econometric model of the Spanish economy. In addition to eradicating unemployment, we find that the job guarantee programme attenuates the economic cycle, sustains higher real incomes, and does not compromise price stability.

Knowledge management and career readiness: a review and synthesis

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge management and career development in an era characterized by high levels of youth unemployment and a demand for specialized skills. Despite the increasing transition to a knowledge-based economy, there is a significant gap between young people’s skills and career readiness, necessitating an in-depth analysis of the role of knowledge management at the individual, organizational and national levels.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a qualitative study using the theory-context-characteristics-methodology approach based on a systematic literature review. The authors created an ecological framework for reflecting on knowledge management and career development, arguing for a multidisciplinary approach that invites collaboration across sectors to generate innovative and reliable solutions.FindingsThis study presents a comprehensive review of the existing literature and trends, noting the need for more focus on the interplay between knowledge management and career development. It emphasizes the need for businesses to promote the acquisition, storage, diffusion and application of knowledge and its circulation and exchange to create international business human capital.Practical implicationsThe findings may help multinational corporations develop managerial training programs and recruitment strategies, given the demand for advanced knowledge-based skills in the modern workspace. The study also discusses the influences of education, experience and job skills on business managers’ performance, guiding the future recruitment of talents.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is among the first to assess the triadic relationship between knowledge management, career development and the global unemployment crisis. The proposed multidisciplinary approach seeks to break down existing silos, thus fostering a more comprehensive understanding of how to address these ongoing global concerns.

Transitioning young people into employment in the Australian construction industry: the trust-building role of project-based intermediaries

PurposeConstruction is one of Australia’s largest employers of young people and the industry is facing a major labor shortage, with young people expected to account for much of the shortfall. Surprisingly however, there been little research into the pathways for young people into construction employment. The aim of this paper is to address this gap in research by exploring whether project-based intermediaries can support the development of disadvantaged young people’s trust in the often-problematic systems which are meant to help transition them into employment in construction.Design/methodology/approachEmploying an in-depth case study approach, this research mobilizes theories of personalized and generalized trust to report the results of interviews with 15 sectoral leaders; focus groups with 12 young people working in construction; and interviews with 11 young people being transitioned into construction employment through a unique project-based intermediary developed by a major Australian construction company as part of its social procurement requirements.FindingsFindings show that project-based intermediaries can play an important trust-building role in transitioning disadvantaged young people into work in construction. They do this by bridging a young person’s strong social ties (family and friendship) and weak social ties (with government and construction industry organizations), both of which can be problematic when used in isolation to seek employment in construction. By performing a crucial bridging role between a young person’s individual self-interest in acting alone to find work and their collective interest in being part of a collaborative group, the project-based intermediary creates a new form of linking social capital, enabling social procurement policies which target young people to work while also addressing wider systemic problems in Australia’s employment systems.Originality/valueThis research addresses the lack of employment research into young people in construction and the paucity of theory in social procurement research more broadly. It takes an original approach in aligning theories related to a duality of personalized trust and generalized trust seen against the duality of individual intentionality and agency (self-focused) and shared intentionality and agency (group-focused). By doing so it provides new conceptual and practical insights into the important role that construction project-based intermediaries like the one studied here can play in providing innovative cross-sector and collaborative solutions to the world’s growing youth unemployment crisis.

Patterns of Substance Abuse Among Young Males in Hargeisa of Somaliland: A Mixed-Method Exploration

This mixed method study was designed to explore substance abuse in Hargeisa. Total 300 participants were interviewed for quantitative data and 50 respondents were in-depth interviewed for qualitative data. The findings indicate that Khat is the most commonly used substance at a rate of 45%. Moreover, 48% of respondents reported using other drugs such as tobacco, prescription medications (e.g., opioids, benzodiazepines), stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin, and cocaine. Furthermore, participants aged between 19-21 years old constituted 41% of the sample. This age group present a distinct characteristic indicating variations in substance preferences. Respondents of non-formal education group (43%) showed higher contribution to substance abuse compared to those with high school education (39%), whereas university level individuals accounted for only 18%. This study also found a higher percent of substance abuse among unemployed group suggesting a potential correlation between joblessness and substance misuse. In-depth interview reveals that participants' perspectives were shaped by various cultural influences, including views on masculinity and societal norms. Recognizing this diversity is crucial for tailored interventions. Additionally, participants emphasized both the advantages and disadvantages of substance use. Some regarded substances as a way to reduce stress, boredom, or social anxiety during difficult times such as economic crisis, political instability and wide range of unemployment. However, they also acknowledged significant drawbacks such as adverse health effects, financial troubles, and strained relationships.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A CATALYST FOR EMPLOYMENT: NAVIGATING THE UNEMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE IN LEBANON’S PRIVATE SECTOR

This study shows the importance of entrepreneurship as a countermeasure, notably in the private sector, against a backdrop of growing unemployment and institutional failures in Lebanon. The main goal is to validate the link empirically and intellectually between entrepreneurship and lower unemployment. The research relies on primary data acquired via an internet survey and employs a qualitative technique with an exploratory-descriptive design. This instrument, which included a variety of question types, gathered information from a broad group of 150 participants, including managers, entrepreneurs, and the jobless, who were chosen using convenience sampling. The study's key findings demonstrate that entrepreneurship reduces unemployment significantly. It indicates three essential results, in particular: entrepreneurship immediately reduces unemployment rates, it reduces individuals' turnover inclinations, thus stabilizing employment, and it promotes self-employment, further reducing unemployment pressures. These findings not only highlight entrepreneurship's complex impact on employment dynamics but also advocate for its potential as a strategic lever in alleviating Lebanon's unemployment crisis.

'Is there value for us in agriculture?' A case study of youth participation in agricultural value chains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Developing countries in Africa face an unemployment crisis, with many unemployed youth. Agriculture has been identified as a strategic sector for employment creation targeted at youth, including those who may not have agriculture-related qualifications. However, various challenges limit the effectiveness of youth participation in the agriculture value chain. The study aimed to (i) determine youth awareness of agricultural value-chain opportunities, (ii) determine their perception of their role in the value chain, (iii) determine their perception of agricultural programs targeting youth and their opinions on who is responsible for attracting youth into agriculture and, (iv) to characterise the dynamics of youth empowerment in agriculture. Data was collected using focus group discussions and an online survey and analysed using SPSS and NVivo. Poor knowledge, low levels of awareness of agricultural value-chain activities and careers, and not meeting the minimum requirements for employment in processing and retail businesses were identified as key challenges. Most youth were interested in non-primary activities such as agro-processing, which are less labour-intensive and have a quicker return on investment than agricultural production. However, support services and programs for promoting youth participation in agriculture mainly focus on primary activities, signifying a mismatch between youth aspirations and current support. Understanding youth aspirations, perceptions and dynamics underpinning youth empowerment and participation in value chains is critical for promoting participation and formulating relevant and responsive policies. Additionally, improving access to information and building awareness of agricultural value chains is crucial in reducing barriers to entry. Policymakers should integrate agriculture and food systems knowledge into the primary education curriculum to promote youth awareness and evoke interest in agri-food system careers at an early age.

The challenge of youth unemployment in Nigeria

AbstractNigeria is home to a significant and growing “youth” population, over a third of it below 24 years of age. The demographic potential for productivity and growth this group represents occurs alongside large-scale unemployment among young people of working age. The “unemployment crisis” has deep historical roots and exists within a wider context of poor governance, insecurity, conflict, and poverty. Policy norms and practices to address youth unemployment in Nigeria largely centre on skill development and job creation, with complementary schemes selectively targeted to specific groups of vulnerable and poor individuals. Measures are typically ad hoc, detached from a coherent programme of sustainable reform. Pre-existing structural factors and capacity constraints also shape the effectiveness of these programmes. While a productivist focus within current policy is potentially empowering in giving young Nigerians “worker” status, it also detracts from attending to deep-rooted structural problems seen to affect young people in disproportionate ways. Securing meaningful choices and lives for Nigerian youth requires reframing youth unemployment beyond labour markets alone, and embedded in ideas of equality and collective action.

The Political Economy of Gig Work in the Pandemic: Social Hierarchies and Labour Control of Indian Platform Workers

This article examines capital–labour relations within location-based gig work in India, with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis of the pandemic exacerbated unemployment and created opportunities for platform services to expand, as consumers relied on digital platforms for their needs. This article assesses conditions across three gig services—food delivery, ride hailing and beauty work—based on interviews with 23 gig workers in the Delhi–National Capital Region in India and five organizers of gig worker collectives. The article discusses how workers’ incomes were cut even as they were exposed to higher risks to health and safety, and was accompanied by higher control exerted over their labour ostensibly for the safety of consumers. This control—both algorithmic and bodily—over workers derived its legitimacy from social hierarchies of caste and class between workers and consumers, and between workers and the platform. The article reveals a remarkable similarity in how workers fared across sectors, despite different classifications as essential or non-essential services. It establishes the significance of the pandemic to amplifying processes of labour commodification and labour control in gig work, ultimately contributing to antagonism between platforms and workers and to an emergent class politics of gig workers.

Literature Review: Unemployment Crisis, Maintaining the Dignity and Welfare of the People

Unemployment is a macroeconomic problem that affects humans directly and is the most serious problem. Unemployment can have a negative impact, both on yourself, your family, and the surrounding environment. Islam has warned its people not to let anyone become unemployed so they don't fall into poverty, for fear that poverty can lead people to do anything, including harm. This study aims to analyze the unemployment crisis and its relationship with the dignity and welfare of the people. This research is a library research in which the data sources are obtained from document materials and library materials as well as other supporting documents. This study obtained the result that maintaining dignity in Islam is an important value. There are many factors that can cause a person to experience unemployment, such as economic conditions, changes in the job market, and a lack of adequate job opportunities. In order to maintain the dignity and welfare of the people by not becoming unemployed, there are several ways or efforts.

Dissatisfied but nowhere to go: teacher attrition in the context of mass unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT This article questions the dominant narrative about high attrition rates among teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It does so by presenting recent estimates of national teacher attrition rates for primary school teachers in 30 of the 44 mainland countries in SSA. This analysis shows that attrition rates are generally quite low and declining in the large majority of countries. The principal reason for low attrition levels, particularly among primary school teachers, is the limited alternative employment opportunities for teachers wishing to exit the profession coupled with high levels of teacher unemployment among teachers who are seeking teaching positions, particularly in public schools (government and grant-aided). The excess supply of teacher graduates from universities and teacher training colleges in relation to the highly constrained fiscal capacity and the overall political commitment of national governments to employ these ‘beginning teachers’ is fuelling a mounting teacher unemployment crisis across the region.

Effect of COVID-19 on Unemployment in India

The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the global economy and intensified the unemployment crisis. India is the second most populated country in the world and one of the fastest developing countries. It has a severe unemployment crisis due to the economic burden on Indian businesses in the background of the declining economic situation caused by this pandemic situation. This article examines the effect of COVID-19 on the unemployment situation in India and will provide significant views of the effect on the unemployment rate with some suggestions for policy makers to make their policies to overcome this intense circumstance.

Viruses don't need a passport to affect labor markets – findings from a Polish-German study on combating unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Labor markets have been strongly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Much empirical evidence exists on how they operated since the COVID-19 outbreak, illustrated predominantly by public statistics. However, there is limited primary research on labor market stakeholders who experienced significant changes in border regions. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions and experiences of labor market experts, especially entrepreneurs, regarding labor market functioning in border regions of Poland and Germany after the COVID-19 outbreak. The main focus has been put on examining how the COVID-19 crisis affected enterprises in terms of employment and how the labor market stakeholders assessed mitigation measures undertaken in the border regions. The study utilizes a mix-method approach. Primary data have been gathered through an online questionnaire targeted at entrepreneurs and labor officers in Germany. Next, a qualitative descriptive study design has been developed, involving one-on-one interviews and focused discussions. The analysis revealed several positive and negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of the labor market in border regions. The study explored differences in the management of the unemployment crisis in Poland and Germany in measures undertaken to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic. Crucial issues, such as cross-border cooperation and communication have also been discussed. The study highlights the role of labor market stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences in defining future cross-border joint preparatory plans and strategies to combat potential threats and unpredictable situations. The findings of the study revealed that there is a strong need to establish cross-border cooperation in terms of tackling unemployment. It has also been indicated that border regions need an approach to combating crises such as pandemics that differs from that of other interior regions. That highlights the importance of joint security policy adaptations and the need to develop joint

An Empirical Study on Why People in Haryana Are Preferring Startup in Todays Era and The Challenges Faced

Abstract: The term "startup" is the most buzzed word in the 21st century. It significantly affects the nation's economy. A startup is a young business founded by one or more entrepreneurs to produce distinctive and one-of-a-kind goods or services. It seeks to promote innovation and accelerate the development or standard of living of the society. Entrepreneurship, self-employment, and enterprise development can help to tackle the crisis of unemployment and slow economic growth. However, those that choose one of these three options need to overcome a number of obstacles, and such start-up businesses have a high failure rate. Lack of funding, price increases, and drawbacks from small scale economies are what led to the failure. The startup entrepreneurs were called in order to investigate the startup environment, problems, possibilities, and challenges they confront as well as their familiarity with governmental rules. The focus of the study was on how businesses see their journeys with particular reference to the startup scene in Haryana.

Not viable, yet desirable? The politics of state creation in Nigeria

Nigeria has had both civilian and military administrations with abundant human and material resources. However, the presence of the aforementioned has not transformed the quality of life of her citizens. Nigeria is still being plagued with the crisis of insecurity, unemployment, energy challenges, and economic underdevelopment etc., several efforts to remedy the crisis of poor governance is the clamour or agitation for state fragmentation which has become unresolved and unabated. Major actors in the clamour opined that restructured Nigeria is a worthy and desirable venture for statecraft which is capable of unleashing an enabling environment for the sub-national governments to thrive in the delivery of effective governance. This paper made use of secondary data to explore the nature and context of the subject matter. While the state-centred thesis and the theories of cooperative federalism were deployed to navigate the topic. The research avers the character of the political elites, the minority question, and the fiscal posture of the existing state to issue the proponents of state fragmentation need to address. Moreover, the following recommendations were made to allay the endless clamour for restructuring; the clamour for restructuring should start with the ethical reorientation of the drivers of the machinery of government to see public offices as an avenue to render selfless service and contribute their quota to national development. Moreover, efforts should be geared towards the institutional restructuring of the agencies saddled with the responsibility of combating corruption without let or hindrances. The constitutional instruments for inter-group relations that promote the accommodation of conflicting interests and inclusivity should be embraced. The Nigerian federation should emphasize revenue generation rather than revenue sharing through the review of the revenue sharing formula that favours derivation. This will strengthen the financial capability of the state governments to be in a better standing to discharge their governance responsibilities to their constituents.