Each year, millions of young Africans enter the labour market in search of stable and fulfilling employment. In Mozambique alone, more than half a million young people join the workforce annually.
Many will find work in agriculture, but opportunities for formal employment remain limited. Even in urban areas, many jobs are informal, offering little security and falling short of the aspirations of an increasingly educated young population.
Since 2017, the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) has conducted surveys to trace the path of students from the classroom into the labour market.
We are researchers at Inclusive Growth in Mozambique, a research and capacity development initiative launched in 2015. Our recent statistical report provides a rare look at what actually happens when young people leave university and technical-vocational (TVET) colleges and enter the workforce. The study followed graduates from 2019 to 2024.
The evidence shows that most do find work, eventually, but often not the kind policymakers assume.
