An Analysis on the Effects of Unemployment on Rural Youth in the Sahel: A Case Study of Rural Areas of Madaoua in the Region of Tahoua, Niger

Abstract

In recent years, young people in nearly every country in the Sahel, experience bad labor market outcomes. In Niger, 5, 9 million people are active, of which 6% are unemployed and 26% are underemployed (INS, 2017). Agriculture alone accounts for 75.6% of the active population. 6.3 % of this population has independent business and 4.3% is in livestock, fishing or hunting. Artisans and industrial workers as well as state officials make up a significant proportion. The age group of 15 to 29 years is the most affected by unemployment with a rate of 23.7% (INS, 2017). Furthermore, about 1.5 million young people aged between 13 and 19 are out of the education system (INS, 2017). Unemployment among rural young people in the Sahel particularly in Niger has been a serious cause for concern as the lack of employment opportunities and career choices make easy their participation in criminal activities and their enrollment in terrorist. Additional personal and social costs associated with unemployment include poverty, debt, homelessness and housing stress, family tensions and breakdown, boredom, alienation, shame and stigma, increased social isolation, crime, erosion of confidence and self-esteem. The general objectives of this study are to measure the extent of some of the personal and social costs associated with unemployment in the rural area of Madaoua in the region of Tahoua, Republic of Niger and to test the willingness of the companies and Non Government Organization (NGO) to recruit in rural area when the qualifications exist. The article used multi-stage sampling technique. At the 1st stage, one rural district was selected randomly from the rural town of the department of Madaoua. At the 2nd stage, two villages were selected from the selected rural district using simple random sampling technique. At the final stage, 120 respondents consisting of 60 from each village were surveyed. Another survey was conducted toward potential employers. The study revealed the existent of socio-economic and psychological impacts on unemployed rural young people. The study also showed that the personal and social costs associated with unemployment are reduced by better economic status of the unemployed person’s family. Finally, the study pointed out that the low level of work-related competences held by young people in rural area played a significant role on youth unemployment in rural area.