Factors and Consequences of Unemployment Among Young Graduates in Morocco and Ivory Coast

Analyzing unemployment among young graduates in Morocco and Ivory Coast: Challenges, socio-political impacts, and solutions for improved job market inclusion.

Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire

Axis: Social equity in the context of informality

Coordinating investigators:

– Jean-Philippe Berrou (Sciences po Bordeaux – LAM)
– Alain Piveteau (IRD-LAM)

Teams:

– Les Afriques dans le Monde, Sciences Po Bordeaux
– Institut Royal de la Culture Amazighe (IRCAM), Morocco

Funder: IPORA internal

Impact:

1 doctoral fellowship is associated to the project.
– Name of doctoral student : Julien Guillot
– Title: Factors and consequences of graduate unemployment in Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire

Background and rationale

Although higher education is supposed to offer better professional opportunities and increased social mobility, in some countries the unemployment rate among graduates is higher than average. With around 230 million young people (aged 15-24) in 2019, Africa is one of the world’s youngest continents, making graduate unemployment a major issue.
Despite increasing enrolment and the democratization of higher education, young people often find it difficult to find a job once they have completed their studies. Depending on their social background and external support, they may be more or less able to adopt a wait-and-see employment strategy. Some are forced to accept low-paid jobs, or move into the informal labor market. Social inequalities play an important role in these choices. In some countries, men and women are unequally affected by this phenomenon, widening the gender gap. By remaining unemployed or obtaining informal employment, these people prolong their youth in an unstable and precarious situation. What’s more, the gap between their aspirations and reality often leads to depression, frustration and discontent, which can lead to unrest and political instability. This situation hampers economic growth through lower productivity and efficiency, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis affecting the youth labor market. That’s why policymakers are taking this issue seriously. Youth employment is one of the priorities of the African Union and the International Labour Organization.
Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire are two countries deeply affected by this phenomenon. Literacy and enrolment in higher education have risen sharply in recent decades, increasing the number of graduates. The structure of the labor market is very different in the two countries, which makes it possible to identify certain factors of inclusion or exclusion.

Objective

Highlight the employment challenges facing educated young people and the potential social and political consequences of unemployment, and propose feasible recommendations to promote their inclusion

Methods

This project uses a comparative and multidisciplinary approach. These methods will be applied to both Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire.
An in-depth review of academic articles, reports and policy documents will be carried out to gather existing knowledge and ideas on the inclusion and unemployment of educated young people in Africa, and their consequences. Policy mapping will be carried out, to compare the experiences and approaches of Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire in tackling graduate youth unemployment. Quantitative and qualitative surveys will be carried out in both countries to obtain different viewpoints from stakeholders – unemployed young people, employers and policy-makers. Based on the results, recommendations will be developed to promote the inclusion of young graduates in the labor market and reduce unemployment.