Graduate Employability in Africa

ByMahcap

Over the last decade, the youth in Africa (15–35 years) have become better educated. These graduates are expected to offer their expertise or acquired knowledge, skills, wisdom, values, and attitudes to develop African economies. Unfortunately, about 50 percent of university graduates are unlikely to find employment for two years after graduation, and 20 percent will have to wait three years to get jobs. Making graduate employability an urgent issue for the government, academia, industry, students, and parents1.

Employability

Employability refers to the skills, attitudes, and habits required to gain and maintain employment both within and across organizations. Graduate employability, therefore, refers to graduates’ possession of skills, qualities and competencies required to enable them to secure and maintain employment. Therefore, employability focuses on individuals’ characteristics and emphasizes their skills. 

Role of Tertiary Institutions on Graduate Employability

Tertiary education contributes to the social and economic development of nations, continents, and the world in four ways. 

  1. Producing and accumulating human capital: Tertiary institutions empower students with the essential skills, knowledge, and opportunities necessary for their personal growth and for making positive impacts on their communities and economies, whether locally, nationally, or globally. This encompasses the ability to pursue self-employment, secure employment, and even establish businesses, thus fostering both individual advancement and broader economic prosperity.
  2. Generation of knowledge: Higher education institutions serve as hubs for the generation and cultivation of knowledge through research endeavours. This research not only enriches students’ learning experiences but also offers them opportunities to apply and reinforce what they have learned in practical settings.
  3. Dissemination and application of knowledge: Higher education institutions disseminate their research findings to the public through publications, workshops, and conferences, facilitating informed decision-making. Students, in turn, benefit from research outcomes related to their learning, behaviours, attitudes, employment prospects, and essential success skills. This knowledge guides students in identifying which attitudes and skills they should prioritize nurturing to achieve success.
  4. Innovation and invention of new information and technology: Tertiary institutions drive innovation by fostering the development of new technologies, products, and methodologies that can improve lives, enhance efficiency, and address societal challenges. However, despite their relevance, tertiary or higher institutions face some challenges in Africa. These challenges include inadequate funding, low levels of investment in research and development, and weak linkages between tertiary institutions and industry, which contribute to graduate unemployment. 

Graduate Unemployment

Unemployment comprises people under the following conditions2.

  • Out of work, 
  • Want a job
  • Actively seeking work in the previous four weeks and are available to start work within the next fortnight.
  • Accepted a job and is waiting to start in the next fortnight. 
  • Hence, individuals can be classified as employed or unemployed within days, weeks, or months.

Causes of Graduate Unemployment

There are many causes of graduate unemployment. 

  1. A mismatch between tertiary education and the needs of industry or job market: Several studies on graduate unemployment in Africa ranked a mismatch between skills acquired from higher educational institutions and skills demanded by industries or the labour market as one of the major causes of graduate unemployment. Over the years, industry players and employers have raised concerns about the inadequacies surrounding graduates’ skills in contributing to productivity. Making them lack the enthusiasm to employ recent graduates.  According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2011), although there are large numbers of unemployed graduates on the African continent, many enterprises struggle to fill open positions3.
Egypt example: In Egypt, for example, it is estimated that about 1.5 million graduates from tertiary institutions are unemployed, while private sector firms cannot fill 600,000 vacancies4. 
South example: In South Africa, an estimated 3 million young people are unemployed, of which 600,000 are university graduates versus 800,000 vacancies that are unfilled(4).
Ghana example: According to the National Education Sector Performance Report, 2010 New businesses in Ghana list lack of skills as a major factor influencing their decision to relocate elsewhere. Job vacancies cannot be filled because of a lack of skills5. 
Somalia example: About 37 firms who responded to questions on skills gaps indicated that a significant number of skills are lacking in the labour market but are in short supply by tertiary institutions6.

2. A mismatch between the expectations of graduates and what the market is currently supplying: Another cause of graduate unemployment is a mismatch between graduate expectations of the job market and that of employers. 

  • Graduates’ perspectives: Graduates expect to get stable, high-paying jobs in the formal sector, yet the sector has limited opportunities. Also, graduates assume that their qualifications must ensure that they get managerial positions.  With such expectations, many graduates do not wish to start at a low level. Consequently, they select jobs and prefer to remain unemployed until they get their dream employment (2). 
  • Employers’ perspectives: Employers view graduates as new entrants with a degree who lack the required soft skills and experience to work effectively in the workplace. They prefer to pay less and train graduates according to the needs and demands of the workplace(5). 

3. Poor quality secondary education: Poor quality of primary and secondary education, which does not prepare students to enter and succeed in higher learning, contributes to the alarming graduate unemployment in the country. Some students, after completing secondary education, are regarded as functionally illiterate. They do not possess adequate writing, mathematical, and communication skills to perform at the university level. However, if such students find themselves in the university through cheating and other means, they might graduate without any relevant skills for the job market7. 

4. Lack of career counselling and guidance for students: Numerous talents remain untapped due to insufficient career guidance. This results in students selecting programs they lack enthusiasm and interest in, ultimately leading to underperformance. Additionally, a lack of awareness about various career prospects leaves many students unaware of alternative paths, causing overcrowding in certain fields while potentially promising but lesser-known career options remain unexplored.

5. Type of qualification obtained as well as field of study: Studies analyzed the reason why graduates in Africa struggle to find employment and found that most graduates struggle to find employment because they have chosen the wrong field of study and also lack awareness of the latest developments and applicable skills in the job market(4).

6. Job search and work experience: A degree is not enough to gain employment. Studies show that most recently employed graduates have part-time, internship, and voluntary work experience, giving them an advantage over their peers who only have a certificate(7).

7. Low government and private sector demand for graduate labour: Also, the government, which in most cases is the largest employer in some African countries, has limited space available for graduates as the public sector is choked already. Meanwhile, the private sector is facing unfavourable economic conditions and is unable to employ many people. 

8.  Undiversified national economy: Many African countries’ economies remain undiversified and, therefore, vulnerable to external shocks. This means that there are fewer industries or sectors in which graduates can find employment. This limitation reduces the variety of job opportunities available to graduates and also limits the variety of programmes students can pursue since there are no markets or demand for certain skills in Africa(6).  

Consequences of Graduate Unemployment

  • Brain drain: Research shows that some well-educated and skilled African graduates seek international employment, resulting in a brain drain. Nigeria, for instance, exports far more skilled labour and trained intelligentsia than it attracts, which is unhealthy for self-reliance and socio-economic development8.
  • Low revenue generation: Graduate unemployment cannot ensure the widening of the tax net to bring more revenue into the government’s coffers because no jobless person can pay any significant amount of money in taxes(6).
  • Increases violence, crime, drug abuse and political instability: The saying “An idle mind is a dangerous mind” suggests that when individuals have too much free time and lack productive or fulfilling activities to engage in, they may be more prone to negative or harmful behaviours. This can include involvement in criminal activities, especially if they face financial struggles and perceive crime as a means to meet their basic needs. In such circumstances, even small amounts of money may be sufficient to tempt individuals into illegal behaviour(1, 3,4, 5, 6).
  • Increases psychological problems of frustration, depression, and suicide. A few months ago, a frustrated and depressed youth committed suicide over Gh 3000.00, which is less than 300 dollars. This is not only heartbreaking but highlights the immense pressure and despair that many young people face due to financial struggles, especially in the context of unemployment. While this amount of money may seem insignificant to some, it can significantly impact individuals already feeling overwhelmed by their circumstances(5, 6). 
  • Non-retrieval of the money spent on the education or training of these graduates or intellectuals because they have not secured jobs. Numerous countries, including Ghana, offer free basic and secondary education to young people, aiming to enhance educational access. This significant investment in youth education is intended to empower them to contribute significantly to the country’s development after completing tertiary education. However, unemployment poses a challenge, leading to the underutilization of this investment by the state, as many young graduates struggle to fulfill expectations due to a lack of employment opportunities(8).
  • Criticisms against Tertiary Institutions, especially the Universities: Tertiary institutions often face criticism for graduates’ perceived lack of industry-relevant skills or insufficient preparedness for the demands of the job market. When graduates struggle to secure employment post-graduation, it can diminish the motivation to pursue tertiary education and question its relevance. Therefore, it is imperative to address graduate unemployment to ensure the continued value and significance of tertiary education(1).

Skills Required by Industry and Job Market

Skills Required by Industry or the Job Market-2

Mitigation Against Graduate Unemployment

  • Availability of school-to-work transition programmes that will prepare tertiary students and graduates for jobs in the labour market: This involves providing employability skills training and offering volunteering and internship opportunities for students to gain insights into the expectations of the job market and prepare accordingly.
  • Collaboration among relevant actors on the role of tertiary institutions on graduates’ employability: Policymakers, academics, and industry must revisit the issue of the university’s role as a centre for the development of intellectual, creative, and other higher-level skills versus the need to supply workers for the labour market9. 
  • Favourable environment for private sector operations: The government must create a conducive environment for the successful operation of the private sector, which in turn affects its capacity to employ more graduates. This week, Glovo, a global delivery company, declared its intention to halt operations in Ghana by May 10, 2024, citing challenges in achieving profitability. Consequently, numerous individuals currently employed by Glovo will face unemployment10.
  • Effective career guidance and counselling sessions: Career guidance must be made accessible to students at all levels in Africa to address the mismatch between the labour market’s needs and educational institutions’ products. 
  • Enforcement of accountability and transparency in graduate employment across all sectors.
  • Improving the agricultural sector to attract the youth and graduates.
  • Availability of funds to support graduate start-ups.
  • Promote entrepreneurship as a strategy to create employment for youth.

By: Huzeima Mahamadu

References

  1. Oppong, S., & Sachs, P. R. (2015). Managing graduate unemployment in emerging economies: Critical analysis of the skills mismatch and oversupply theses. Poslovna Izvrsnost, 9(1), 125–137.
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  2. Oluwajodu, F., Blaauw, D., Greyling, L., & Kleynhans, E. P. J. (2015). Graduate unemployment in South Africa: Perspectives from the banking sector. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(1), 9 pages ↩︎
  3. de Rheede, V., & Joy, T. (2012). Graduate unemployment in South Africa: Extent, nature and causes. ↩︎
  4. Baldry, K. B. (2013). Graduate unemployment in South Africa: Prevalence, characteristics and perceived causes ↩︎
  5. Emmanuel, A. (2020). Graduate Unemployment In Ghana: Challenges And Workable Strategies. International Journal of Research Publications, 57 ↩︎
  6. Gelle, L. Y., Abshir, A., & Ali-Salad, M. A. (2021). Graduate Unemployment in Somalia: Causes, Socio-Economic Consequences and Possible Solutions. Journal of Economics, 9(3), 14–21.
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  7. Fosu, R., & Boateng, R. E. (2013). The Scottish University level entrepreneurship education initiative: Lessons for Ghana in dealing with graduate unemployment. Journal of Education and Practice, 4(24), 143–151.
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  8. Adesola, O. O., Oluseye, A. M., Omonike, A. O., Omowunmi, O. M., & Oluwaseunfunmi, O. J. (2017). Causes and effects of graduate unemployment on the Nigerian economy (The case study of Lagos State). Asian Research Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2(1), 1–10.
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  9. Van der Berg, S., & Van Broekhuizen, H. (2012). Graduate unemployment in South Africa: A much exaggerated problem. Centre for Development and Enterprise, Stellenbosch University. ↩︎
  10. Tsekpo, A. K. (2014). What is Ghana’s unemployment rate. Daily Graphic, 7.
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