This paper examines labor diversification in Ethiopia, focusing on youth, and explores current conditions that youth face in both the agricultural and non-farm labor markets. Using data from the Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey (ESS) and the National Labor Force Survey (NLFS), we explore current trends in labor diversification, along with youth non-farm engagement in rural and small towns. We find that youth (ages 25 to 34 years) have a greater probability of working in non-farm enterprises compared to mature individuals (age 35-64). However, wage labor opportunities remain scant in rural Ethiopia. The majority of individuals working in non-farm employment are engaged in small-scale trade activities.
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Sub-Saharan Africa's rural population is growing rapidly, and more young people are entering the labour market every year. This raises serious policy questions. Can rural economies absorb enough job seekers? Could better-educated youth transform Africa's rural economies by adopting new technologies and starting businesses? Are policymakers responding to the youth employment challenge? Or will there be widespread unemployment, social instability, and an exodus to cities and abroad? Youth and Jobs in Rural Africa: Beyond Stylized Facts uses survey data to build a nuanced understanding of the constraints and opportunities facing rural youth in Africa. Addressing the questions of Africa's rural youth is currently hampered by major gaps in our knowledge and stylized facts from cross-country trends or studies that do not focus on the core issues. Youth and Jobs in Rural Africa takes a different approach, drawing on household and firm surveys from selected African countries with an explicit focus on rural youth. It argues that a balance between alarm and optimism is warranted, and that Africa's "youth bulge" is not an unprecedented challenge. Jobs in rural areas are limited, but agriculture is transforming and youth are participating, adopting new technologies and running businesses. Governments have adopted youth employment as a priority, but policies often do not address the specific needs of rural populations. Youth and Jobs in Rural Africa emphasizes that by going beyond stylized facts and drawing on more granular analysis, we can design effective policies to turn Africa's youth problem into an opportunity for rural transformation.
Many people believe that Africa will struggle to create jobs for its rapidly-growing population, and that rural youth will eventually migrate to cities or other countries. This book uses survey data to create a nuanced understanding of the constraints and opportunities facing rural youth in Africa.
Rural youth constitute over half of the youth population in developing countries and will continue to increase in the next 35 years. Without rural transformation and green industrialisation happening fast enough to create more wage employment in a sustainable manner, the vast majority of rural youth in developing countries have little choice but to work in poorly paid and unstable jobs or to migrate. As household dietary pattern is changing, new demands by a rising middle class for diversified and processed foods are creating new job opportunities in food-related manufacturing and services. Agro-food industries are labour-intensive and can create jobs in rural areas as well as ensure food security. Yet the employment landscape along the agro-food value chains is largely underexploited. This study looks at local actions and national policies that can promote agro-food value chains and other rural non-farm activities using a youth employment lens.
Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2019 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, Ethiopian Civil Service University (individual), course: thesis, language: English, abstract: The purpose of the study was an assessment on the challenges and prospects of rural youth economic empowerment in Dire Teyara Woreda in Harari Regional state of Ethiopia. Standing from this objective, the study was attempted to answer the basic questions of What are the current practices of rural youth economic empowerment?, What are the challenges in implementing rural youth economic development package?, What are the prospects of rural youth economic empowerment?, How can the challenges be addressed and appropriately to use prospects to empower youth economy in the study area? The study was conducted using descriptive study design. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods engaged. Quantitative data was collected from 80 beneficiary youth organized under job opportunity creation program and qualitative data was collected by interview with 10 respondents which of expert of Job Opportunity and Food Security Agency, woreda leader and managers in six Kebelles and 3 field observations was conducted. After data was collected then edited, coded and enter in to SPPS computer software and micro soft Excel as instruments of data entry and data interpreting. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics tool (like frequency, tables, percentage), data was presented by using graphs and summarizing. The major findings are: most of the respondents’ gender was males those are the age category of 26-29 years and most of them are single with high school education background. The challenges in implementing rural youth economic development package particularly in job creation opportunity program challenged by Limited knowledge and skill in leaders and experts, Inadequate Stakeholder integration, Lack of monitoring and evaluating practice to implement youth package, Insufficient credit services for youth and Lack of local community support. the prospect of rural youth economic empowerment were long and short term plan. The major Strategies to improve rural youth economic empowerment were the government should be strongly introducing youth policies, highly monitoring and evaluation in implementing youth development package, good education and training that focus to improve rural youth economic empowerment and improve credit service. Finally, the researcher has recommended that participation and coordination of all concerned bodies and stakeholders are very important in supporting to empower rural youth economically.
The rural population in Africa south of the Sahara is growing, and its rural economy is still underdeveloped. The pressure to create jobs in rural areas is therefore particularly acute. There is cause for optimism, however. Evidence suggests that agriculture is transforming in many African countries, albeit slowly, and that youth are often participating in this process. Further research is needed to accelerate this progress.
The authors examine the challenges facing Africa's youth in their transition from school to working life, and propose a policy framework for meeting these challenges. Topics covered include the effect of education on employment and income, broadening employment opportunities, and enhancing youth capabilities. The book includes a CD-ROM of case studies of four countries and household data on 13 countries.
First published in 1997, this volume asks whether Africa’s future is necessarily rooted in peasant agriculture. The title of this book, Farewell to Farms, is deliberately intended to challenge the widely held view that Africa is the world’s reserve for peasant farming. African rural populations are themselves moving away from a reliance on agriculture. ‘De-agrarianisation’ takes the form of urban migration as well as the expansion of non-agricultural activities in rural areas providing new income sources, occupations and social identities for rural dwellers. Using recent continent-wide case study evidence, the authors assess the impact of de-agrarianisation on household welfare, business performance and national development. Their findings, which reveal new economic trajectories and social patterns emerging from a period of accelerated change, call into question assumptions about Africa’s future place in the world division of labour.
