CHIATECH JOURNAL · Registered Version of Record

Youth Labour-Market Vulnerability in Nigeria’s North-Central Zone: Mixed-Methods Evidence on Skills Mismatch, Informality, Gender and Conflict Exposure

1. Iboro Tom Idim
   Department of Economics, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Youth unemployment in Nigeria’s North-Central zone is intertwined with underemployment, informal work, skills mismatch, gendered barriers and insecurity. Objective: This study examined the structural and social factors associated with youth labour-market vulnerability across Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory. Methods: The parent study used a sequential mixed-method design. A structured survey was administered to 882 youth respondents (126 per constituent unit), with reported internal consistency of α=.81. The qualitative strand comprised 35 focus-group discussions, 70 key-informant interviews and intensive case studies in Guma, Benue State, and Riyom, Plateau State. Quantitative analysis used descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, chi-square tests and binary logistic regression; qualitative material was analysed thematically. Because Nigeria introduced a revised Labour Force Survey methodology in 2023, this article does not treat pre-2023 and revised national unemployment estimates as one directly comparable time series. Results: The source analysis reports that 73% of employed youth in the survey worked in informal activities and more than 80% of those informal workers earned below the statutory minimum wage applicable during fieldwork. Holding a tertiary Arts or Social Sciences degree rather than a STEM/vocational qualification was associated with 1.8 times the odds of unemployment (p<.01), while female respondents had 1.5 times the odds after adjustment for education and location (p<.001). Conflict exposure was closely linked to livelihood disruption, displacement and reduced youth agricultural engagement. Conclusion: The evidence supports an integrated jobs strategy combining demand-led skills, agro-industrial and digital opportunities, gender-responsive access to assets, conflict-sensitive livelihood restoration and stronger labour-market information.

Keywords: youth unemployment; underemployment; informal employment; skills mismatch; gender inequality; conflict exposure; mixed methods; North-Central Nigeria

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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