What is in a Job? The Social Context of Youth Employment Issues in Africa

This article analyses the social dimensions of youth employment strategies in Africa. Focusing on youth informal sector employment strategies, the article interrogates whether youth employment strategies are simply about jobs and income, or are they linked to social transformation; and whether youth are helpless and incapacitated in the context of high unemployment or underemployment in Africa. Unemployment and underemployment constitute a challenge to different categories of youth: high unemployment is highest among urban, educated youth; and underemployment and low productivity constitute major challenges for young people active in the informal sector. Based on four case studies of youth informal sector employment activities, this article contends that important social undercurrents and realities about youth employment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are overlooked; first, the focus on state-led interventions misses the potential to document and leverage the perspectives, capabilities and breakthroughs by youth. Young people in SSA are active agents, rather than passive recipients or helpless actors, in addressing unemployment and underemployment. Second, youth employment transcends mere wages and livelihoods to connect with social processes, including societal transformation—the progressive change in societal mind-set, values and norms, processes and outlook. Finally, all these have implications for policy and practice as it influences Africa's effectiveness or ineffectiveness in capacitating and supporting demonstrated potential for innovative problem-solving and job creation by youth. The informal sector as a whole, and youth employment strategies at a particular point in time, continue to be poorly documented and integrated into mainstream economic planning, and its growth obstructed. Thus, important partnerships, lessons and opportunities to leverage breakthroughs from youth-led activities are overlooked.