CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This chapter provides a broad overview of the employment

situation in graduate s which is a major concern of government

and their social partner throughout the region. Theapproach is

rather general and highlights major issues concerning

employment problems and prospects in the region. Because of

data limitation it does not attempt a comprehensive and

quantitative analysis of the employment situation. it brings with

an examination of the employment problems including

background information on its origin and trends and then looks

at the nature and underlying causes of contemporary

unemployment. Unemployment of a large portion of the labor

force is a central problem now in almost all the underdeveloped

countries.

The phenomenon of chronic unemployment has become the

major concern of successive Nigerian government. The

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phenomenon of joblessness creates much concern for the

individual Nigerians. According to the 1966 - 67 manpower

surveys in Nigeria the proportion of the labour force in Nigeria

not working is 1 - 7 percent which means that nearly two of

every one hundred member of the potential labor are

unemployed.

Unemployment has thus reached such an alarming situation

today that is perhaps considered the most serious of the problem

affecting Nigeria and one that is steadily worsening as the gap

between the rapid rising member pressing for work and the new

employment opportunities being created widens.

In the underdeveloped countries such as Nigeria however

employment benefits are not available to the unemployed. the

income level of the great majority of families makes the provision

of unemployment benefits virtually impossible thus those unable

to find jobs or these discharged from their previous employments

re left to fend for themselves. in under developed countries

majority of job seekers are therefore forced to create

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employment for themselves particularly in the rural agricultural

sectors where they force disguised unemployment. in the context

of this study both those who are disguised unemployment. in the

context of this study both those who are disguisedly unemployed

and those who are openly unemployed are lumped together as

the unemployed.

thus unemployment is define briefly as the negative aspect of the

economic process for an unemployed person is one who despite

his willingness and capacity to work is unable to do so for reasons

inherent in the organization of the commodity production.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PPROBLEMS

Unemployment rates are particularly high among graduate and

especially among school leaves giving rise increasingly to the

problems of "educated unemployment". paradoxically graduate

unemployment seems to be correlated with levels of education

attained in some cases. This is particularly true for school leavers

in for example Nigeria where the proportion of the unemployed

with secondary education increased from 24 to 51 percent

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between 1974 and 1985. graduate employment rates are

probably 3 - 4 times higher than those of older workers and in

many countries in the region open unemployment among

graduate as a group in the labour could be as 40 - 50 percent.

Moreover graduate s and new entrants to the labour force are as

well placed as experienced workers to find employment in new

opportunities or to go into self employment. Theproblems of

graduate unemployment reflect the contraction of jobs in the

modern sector and declining rate of job creation in that sector. It

also suggests serious labour market distortions related to the

development and utilization of human resources in the context

of changing economic circumstances. further the problem of

graduate unemployment islinked to the fact of many African

countries as already noted continue to record relatively high

rates of population growth and the population structure of some

of those countries is overwhelmingly young will children of school

going age accounting for as much as half of the total population

in some cases.

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1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Unemployment has become a current and a current universal

problem in Nigeria. The impact presently has been felt by 80% of

Nigerian's families. The efforts of our government to curb it are

inadequate or misdirected so positive results are not yet in sight.

Unemployment has brought hardship and object poverty to many

families. The level of adult dependency has increased so the rate

of saving in our economy is declining. The problem has also led to

increase in crime waves and rates. All these could spell doom for

the nation. It is deemed fit to embark on this study as a

contribution towards the eradication of the problems of

unemployment and its accompanying problems and hardship to

the individual and in general.

Our primary motive of carrying out this study were born of the

desire to contribute in any meaningful way the idea of how the

glowing rate of unemployment in Nigeria can be dealt with in

order to reduce its social and other consequences especially on

our leaders of tomorrow to at least a minimum.

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The roles of government to assist people see the need of solving

their numerous problems of which unemployment is an integral

part. Asgraduate s generally regarded as catalyst of national

development are no longer assumed of job security and reliable

source of livelihood. We see this as warming signal showing that

dangeris looming and if nothing is done to arrest the situation; it

may spell out a disaster which nobody in this country can afford

to avoid.

1.4 RESEARCH /QUESTIONS/ HYPTHESIS IN THE

(SYSTEM)

The data and information that will be used in conducting this

research study will include both primary and secondary data

which involves personal observation book journals company

documents internet downloads and a number of others white ups

and presentations which are relevant to this study.

Personal interview will also be carried out with entrepreneurs

manage and finance personal in addition to issue questionnaires.

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The method of data analysis to a adopted and used in this

research study will used of statistical tools which are the simple

percentage alongside the chi - square tests.

This research study is not an exception to hypothesis formulation

and testing. The researcher intends to formulate and test the

research hypothesis as follows.

Research hypothesis

The stress to obtain the necessary information requiredfro this

research work has been given rise to the following hypothesis.

Ho: The current Educational system is not serving our societal

need.

Hi;The current educational system is not serving our societal

need

Ho: What means could the graduates unemployment be

eradicated.

H1: There is no means graduates unemployment be eradicated

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Ho: The government address itself to the problems of

graduateunemployment galore?

Hi;The government has not address itself to the problems of

graduate unemployment galore

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The case study or area where the problem has more impact in

view of the problems created by unemployment in Enugu state

despite government conscious efforts to create employment

opportunities in the country the interest on this problem is to

determine through facts and figure the level of and trend in

unemployment in the country with the view to making lasting

policy recommendations that will ameliorate the problem of

unemployment.

1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The limitation of the study is in Enugu so anything that explains

unemployment outside this area will be irrelevant and useless.

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1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study is in Enugu and it touches on the various

unemployment problems forms of unemployment.

Unemployment has been one of the most persisted and

unmanageable problems facing all industrial countries of the

world. If not handled adequately it will not be eliminated. The

underlying causes of the serious employment problem in Nigeria

are linked both to supply - side factors which determines the

demand for laborthrough the influence on main economic and

labor market trends.

on the supply side apart from population growth salient

characteristics of the labor force such as educational and skill

level and mobility of labor can influence the level and distribution

of employment on the demand side the capacity of Nigeria

economy to absorb labor into productive employment is

influenced mainly by the rate and pattern of economic growth as

well as by the structure and efficiency of production.

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Unemployment may actually be higher among women than men

in Nigeria. although this is lately depicted in recorded statistics

many women in the country are officially outside the labor force

i.e. house wives and are not actively seeking work but it is likely

that because of the need to argument household income many of

these women would in fact take a job opportunities if these were

available. The participation and unemployment rates of women in

the labor force in Nigeria do not as such include the large reserve

of women whose unemployed" status is concealed and not

included in official statistics.

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