unemployment syndrome among nigerian graduates
TRANSCRIPT
UNEMPLOYMENT
SYNDROME AMONG
NIGERIAN GRADUATES:
CAUSES, EFFECTS AND
SOLUSION.
BY
OMEH KATE
AKP/WRR/BMG/BUS/HND2006/0018
BEING A PROJECT WORK SUBMITED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDIES,
AKWA IBOM STATE POLYTECHNIC, IKOT OSURUA, IKOT
EKPENE, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
HIGHER DIPLOMA (HND) IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.
SEPTEMBER 2008
CERTIFICATION
We hereby certify that this research project was carried out by OMEH
KATE (AKP/WRR/BMG/BUS/HND/2006/0018)
....................................................................................................... for the
award of HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA CERTIFICATE. Department of
Business Administration, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic. Ikot Asurua.
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______________________ ____________________
DATE
Project supervisor
_____________________ ________________
DATE
Centre co-ordinator
DEDICATION
This research project is dedicated to the Almighty God for His ever
enduring love, kindness, mercy and grace all through the course of this
programme. Father, I thank and worship you and give You all the Glory
and Honour.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I thereby which to Acknowledged the following people that has made my dream
and purpose in life to come through. First of all, thanks to Almighty God who
gave me power and wisdom, and the grace to be educated and to my dear One
and Only love that gives me Joy, MR
___________________________________________ and my dear mother Mrs.
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___________________________________________ who is an encouragement
to my life and my brothers and Sisters ________________
________________________________________________________________
___ for their love towards me in prayer, also my supervisor who has been a
great help to me. _______________________________________ and my
lovely Register of warri center MRS Stella Oyabugbe and my late Co-odinator
of warri Centre late Dr Alex Obinala of blessed memorial for his fatherly love
towards me and my father
______________________________________________________ whose
Vision for my life was to be great and useful in life and those many love ones
too numerous to name. My prayer to God Almighty is that HE should bless you
richly in JESUS NAME.
ABSTRACT
Unemployment is a state of disequilibrium in the economy. In Nigeria
unemployment has been recognized as economic problem, and solutions are
being sought to wipe it out or at least reduce it to manageable levels.
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In this research work, attempt was made to examine how unemployment
generated in Nigeria with particular reference to our university and polytechnic
graduates.
The research viewed this ugly trend (unemployment) in the country under the
following headlines: involuntary unemployment, frictional unemployment,
structural unemployment, classical unemployment and cyclical
unemployment.
It was discovered that the basic causes of unemployment are government made
laws, individual, society, economic growth and insufficient effective demand
for goods and service in the economy.
At an individual level, the solution to unemployment may be as simple as
getting a job, or getting more training, but the research has revealed that the
following criteria could serve as solution:--- Philips curve, demand side, supply
side and tax-related.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
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Unemployment is viewed in this research work as a state in which an
able-bodied individual is actively seeking, but is unable to secure, any
gainful employment.
Unemployed individuals are unable to earn money to meet financial
obligations. Failure to pay mortgage payments or to pay rent may lead to
homelessness through foreclosure or eviction. Unemployment increases
susceptibility to malnutrition, illness, mental stress, and loss of self-
esteem, leading to depression.
Statistics of Nigerian unemployment seems to consist, not of uneducated,
rural populations, who have been uprooted by failing agricultural
production resulting from the absence of mechanization and decreasing
incomes, but of some highly educated populations, as
well, who normally, would form the core of the productive vanguard in a
developing country. In other words, many of Nigeria's unemployed and
consequently poor, are well educated and skilled, even by European and
American standards.
Extant literature refers to Nigeria's underemployment and low
productivity, as constituting a vicious cycle that explains the endemic
poverty in the country. Unless Obadan & Odusola of the National Center
for Economic Management & Administration (NCEMA), Ibadan,
are wrong, Nigeria will have no prospect of measurable development or
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of improving the welfare of its people, unless it enhances the chances of
employment for its university graduates.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In looking at the unemployment syndrome among Nigerian graduates,
causes, effects and solution, some of the questions easily come to mind
are:
1. what are root causes of the unemployment in Nigeria?
2. what are the major effects on individual and the society?
3. what is the nature of relationship between poverty, unemployment and
growth in Nigeria?
4. what steps should be taken to ensure that growth is such that brings
about decrease in unemployment in Nigeria?
5. how unemployment is individual and social problem
6. what are the possible cost of unemployment?
7. how can the problem of unemployment be solved?
1.3 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDY
Preliterate communities treat their members as parts of an extended family and
thus do not allow unemployment. In precapitalist societies such as European
feudalism, the serfs were never "unemployed" because they had direct access
to the land, and the needed tools, and could thus work to produce crops. Just as
on the American frontier during the nineteenth century, there were day laborers
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and subsistence farmers on poor land, whose position in society was somewhat
analogous to the unemployed of today. But they were not truly unemployed,
since they could find work and support themselves on the land.
Under both ancient and modern systems of slave-labor, slave-owners never let
their property be unemployed for long. (If anything, they would sell the
unneeded laborer.) Planned economies such as the old Soviet Union or
today's Cuba typically provide occupation for everyone, using substantial
overstaffing if necessary. (This is called "hidden unemployment," which is
sometimes seen as a kind of underemployment,) Workers'
cooperatives—such as those producing plywood in the U.S. Pacific
Northwest—do not let their members become unemployed unless the co-op
itself goes bankrupt. Artificially increasing employment in this way however
means employing workers beyond their worth: the workers are making a loss,
and are from societies point of view not usefully employed.
Nigeria is a nation that is endowed with multifarious and multitudinous
resources-both human and material. However, due to gross mismanagement,
profligate spending, kleptomania and adverse policies of various governments
of Nigeria, these resources have not been optimally utilized; these resources
have not been adequately channeled to profitable investments to bring about
maximum economic benefits. As a result of the foregoing, Nigeria has been
bedeviled with unemployment and poverty. Economic growth, which is
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supposed to be a solution to the problems of unemployment and poverty,
appears not to be so in Nigeria. Nigeria’s official statistics show that economic
growth has not always been accompanied by decline in unemployment and
poverty.
Statistics of Nigerian unemployment seems to consist, not of uneducated, rural
populations, who have been uprooted by failing agricultural production
resulting from the absence of mechanization and decreasing incomes, but of
some highly educated populations, as well, who normally, would form the core
of the productive vanguard in a developing country. In other words, many of
Nigeria's unemployed and consequently poor, are well educated and skilled.
Youth and Graduate Unemployment
A report by the World Bank (Andrew Dabalen and Olatunde A. Adekola, 2002)
and another by Bankole Oni of the Nigerian Institute for Social Research
(NISER) complains that Nigeria, with half the population of West Africa and a
vast spread of natural resource endowments, the country has the potential to be
the source of growth and prosperity for the whole region, instead of its current
economic under-performance, which is erratic and short of expectations, such
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that 66% of Nigeria’s citizens, educated youth especially, live below the
international poverty line, at just $1.00 a day or $300.00 a year compared to
Libya with $12,000.00 a year and Malaysia with $8,000.00 per capita annually.
Bankole does not hesitate to assert that "the main causes of Nigeria's poor
economic performance have been economic and social mismanagement and
misguided policy choices.
A key-note pronouncement by Dr. Akinola, Primate of All Nigeria Anglican
Communion, at a Youth Conference in Abuja, in 2004, attended to the issue of
"youth and graduate unemployment and its many attendant problems," alluding
to "idle hands becoming Satan’s workshop." While conceding that no ready
solutions availed him, he hinted at the fact that, unemployed graduates had been
ensnared by crime, such as "419," armed robbery, and others.
The national unemployment rate, estimated by the Office of Statistics as
4.3 percent of the labor force in 1985, increased to 5.3 percent in 1986 and 7.0
percent in 1987, before falling to 5.1 percent in 1988 as a result of measures
taken under the SAP. Most of the unemployed were city dwellers, as indicated
by urban jobless rates of 8.7 percent in 1985, 9.1 percent in 1986, 9.8 percent in
1987, and 7.3 percent in 1988. Underemployed farm labor, often referred to as
disguised unemployed, continued to be supported by the family or village, and
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therefore rural unemployment figures were less accurate than those for urban
unemployment.
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of the study is to determine the Unemployment
syndrome among Nigerian graduates.
The subsidiary objective includes:
i. to determine the causes of unemployment among Nigerian
graduates
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ii. to determine the positive and negative effects of
unemployment on individual and the society
iii. to show how politics could be one of the causes of
unemployment
iv. to determine various types of unemployment available
v. to determine the possible means of reducing the
unemployment rate or eradicate it totally.
vi. To fine a long standing solution to unemployment problem
among graduates.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is significant because it will produce data on the
unemployment syndrome among Nigerian graduates that will be
useful to:
1. federal ministry of labour and productivity
2. national union of local government employees
3. state civil service commission
4. federal civil service commission .
5. managers and top executives in organized private sector
6. united nation commission on employment
7. students carry a research work in this same issue.
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1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The survey research method has the limitation that it was ‘once shot’ or at
most ‘two shot’ and that diminishes its capability to generate data with
which to determine the causal relationships of variables. There was also
the limitation of the reluctance of the respondents to give answers to
survey probes.
The Questionnaire method of primary data collection was limited to the
verbal responses of subjects to pre-arrange questions. It also had
limitation that its usefulness depended on the level of education of the
subjects. There was the limitation of the problem of memory in
remembering past facts. The structured nature of the questionnaire may
compel the respondents to give answers that they do not fully endorse,
There was the limitation of the rigidity of the research instrument, which
diminishes the amount of information that could be gathered.
There was the limitation that the cost of administering the questionnaire
was very high due to high administrative, personnel and traveling costs
especially when some of the respondents were initially not on their seats.
There was the limitation that the researcher and the field data collectors
were not policemen and so they could not force some of the respondents
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if they refuse to give answers. There was also the limitation of the
scarcity of time and money resources.
1.8 STRUCTURE OF WORK
This research work is to be organized in five chapters as follows:
1. Introduction
2. Review of Related Literature
3. Research Methods and Producers
4. Data presentation and Analysis and
5. Summary, Findings, Conclusion and Recommendation.
REFERENCES
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1. International Labour Organization: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically
active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the
Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (October 1982); see page 4;
accessed November 26, 2007 (PDF).
2. Edmond Malinvaud, "The theory of unemployment reconsidered",
Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1977, ISBN 0631144757
3. http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Academic/Price_Theory/
PThy_1st_Edn_Ch22/PThy_1st_Edn_Chap_22.html
4. America's Great Depression p. 45
5. Schweickart, David (2002). After Capitalism. Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc., 97.
6. F. A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty
7. Alain Anderson, Economics. Fourth edition, 2006
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
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2.1 THE SPECTRUM OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment is not the result of any one cause. It makes its appearance
in a great variety of circumstances, some in personal factors, some in
economic changes, and some in legislative and regulatory conditions.
Throughout the year some workers may appear in the labor market and
then withdraw. Students work during the summer and return to school in
September. Building and construction activities, logging and lumbering,
slaughtering and meat packing are very seasonal and give rise to a
considerable amount of temporary unemployment. Similarly, industrial
and technological changes may force workers to readjust and relocate.
Jobs, wages, and working conditions always point the way.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor
keeps careful watch of unemployment and diligently counts the numbers.
But in its long history the Bureau has never prepared a systematic
collection, organization, and analysis of the unemployment created by
labor laws and regulations. Yet this kind of unemployment is more
important by far than seasonality or industrial and technological change
to which labour markets readily adjust. It is chronic and lamentable as it
creates large armies of unemployed, impoverishes many people, breeds
discontent, indignation, anger, and, worst of all, being interpreted
erroneously, may turn public opinion against the enterprise order itself. In
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the end, it may even deliver the economy into the very hands that cause
the unemployment.
Whenever government forcibly raises employment costs, it causes
marginal labour, that is, labor that barely covers its costs, to become
submarginal. It does not matter whether government orders wage rates to
rise or benefits to be improved, the workday to be shortened, overtime
pay to be raised, funds to be set aside for sickness and old age, or any
other benefit to be granted. A small boost renders few workers
submarginal, a large boost affects many. In matters of employment they
now are “unproductive” and cannot be used economically.
Chronic unemployment obviously is a political disease that springs from
the primitive notion that government can improve everyone’s income and
working conditions by legislation and regulation. It is an affliction that
stems from misinterpretation and misinformation about work and income
and from an undaunted faith in collective force and coercion. It clearly
reflects the spirit and mentality of our age. Unless they soon will give
way to the spirit of individual freedom and enterprise the rate of
unemployment is likely to rise.
There is no ready escape from the consequences of labour laws. Surely,
most young workers are willing and ready to accept employment at
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honest market rates; they are even prepared to ignore the labour laws and
work under market conditions. But most employers do not dare to violate
the laws. The penalties leveled at them always are onerous and degrading
no matter what their motives may be. Nevertheless economists estimate
that some 30 percent of unskilled youths find ready employment in the
“underground economy” where wages are paid according to productivity.
Many small family enterprises employ and train millions of young
people.
2.2 NIGERIA PERSPECTIVES
Population issues have once more re-surfaced in the front burner of
public discourse. The edition of the Patito's gang which dealt with the
issues on Minaj TV on August, 3l, 2002.
Prior to this, the honourable Minister of Health, professor A.B.C Nwosu
was quoted as saying that over population was responsible for the poor
quality of life and standard of living in Nigeria ( THISDAY, July 12,
2002 P.4). First, anybody who is conversant with what Rev. Fr. George
Ehusani dubbed in his book as the complex politics of population control
in Africa and the Third World which reached its crescendo in the 80s will
understand that Nwosu was neither speaking for himself nor for the
federal government. Certainly, he was speaking for the neo-colonialists
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and powerful international agencies like the IMF, World Bank, United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) etc which have
been ceaselessly labouring to reduce the population of Third World
countries. They have been achieving this goal through powerful,
advocacy and by making population reduction a pre-condition for
granting developmental aids to developing countries.
Their popular hype goes this way; "Nigeria is over-populated.
Consequently, quality of life in Nigeria is low. Therefore, if Nigeria
needs any loan or other assistance from the IMF or the World Bank, the
pre-condition is that she must be ready to reduce her population through
compulsory mass sterilization of men and women, infanticide, abortion,
euphemistically referred to as family planning etc". Part of the strategy is
to put something in women to make them impotent, unable to bear
children in the future.
Nigeria is economically underproductive, relative to its potential for
significant development. Similarly, Nigeria's capacity to employ its own
population seems to diminish progressively, despite the country's
quantifiable fiscal ability resulting from the production and disposal of
oil. The third arm of this tripartite conjecture is that the level of
unemployment in Nigeria appears to grow arithmetically every year, in
contrast to its regional neighbors, most of which have far less resources.
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Much of the unemployment is recorded in the urban cities, such as Lagos,
Abuja, Ibadan, etc.
Statistics of Nigerian unemployment seems to consist, not of uneducated,
rural populations, who have been uprooted by failing agricultural
production resulting from the absence of echanization and decreasing
incomes, but of some highly educated populations, as well, who
normally, would form the core of the productive vanguard in a
developing country. In other words, many of Nigeria's unemployed and
consequently poor, are well educated and skilled.
2.3 UNEMPLOYMENT: CAUSES
The purpose of the discussion below is to point out the overall effects and
inherent trade-offs of policies affecting unemployment. Knowledge of the
effects and trade-offs of policies makes possible reasoned discussion and
choices among various policy options.
Because a healthy economy providing jobs for all who want to work is
the best unemployment antidote, the discussion begins with an analysis of
economic growth. Other unemployment policies can be best studied by
examining incentives -- those of employers to provide jobs and those of
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potential employees to look for jobs. Finally, it is important to study the
overall effects of policies designed specifically to reduce unemployment.
2.3.1 Economic Growth
Other things being equal, the greater the amount of goods and services
produced, the greater the labor required for production. Because
economic growth and employment go hand in hand, regulation and
taxation that discourage the operation of business will also reduce the
demand for labour. Many entrepreneurs are faced with regulations that
force allocation of resources away from production.
2.3.2 Employer Incentives
Employers will hire workers if the revenue resulting from the workers'
labour exceeds the costs of hiring and employing that labour. These costs
are not limited to wages and salaries plus fringe benefits; they include
contributions to programs such as social security and unemployment
insurance as well as the costs of employee selection and training. A
reduction in employer-mandated social security and unemployment
insurance contributions per worker clearly would encourage employment
and thus is a possible anti-unemployment policy. Because reductions in
these contributions would lower program funding, the trade-off between
two policy goals (expanded employment opportunities and Treasury
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revenue adequate to fund existing programs) is clear, and again the policy
maker's assessment of the value of such programs is important.
Work-sharing programs, in which more workers are employed and hours
per worker are reduced, tend to increase employer costs because of the
selection and training costs incurred for new employees and because the
employer is not free to choose the number of workers and hours per
worker that minimize costs. Rather than simply redistributing income
from old to new workers, the increased costs and decreased profits
accompanying work-sharing induce employers to raise prices and/or
curtail production. Increased prices discourage consumer demand and,
like reduced production, lead to decreased demand for labor, an effect
contrary to that intended by advocates of work-sharing.
2.3.3 Employee Incentives
Individuals will be more interested in working as their take-home pay
increases and their income from other sources decreases. Accordingly,
the incentive for people to work will be increased if their income taxes
and social security contributions are reduced. Again, a trade-off between
employment and Treasury revenue exists in this policy decision,
although, as noted above, supply-siders have argued that the reduction in
tax rates will engender a higher offsetting increase in output and
employment, so that Treasury revenue will actually increase.
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In addition to increasing take-home pay by reducing taxes, the
government could attempt to increase the gross pay to workers by
increasing the minimum wage. Unfortunately, rather than increasing the
pay for a given job, mandated wage floors such as the minimum wage
may simply cause certain jobs to disappear, or indeed, never come into
existence.
Income sources that are reduced when people work, such as
unemployment compensation and welfare, affect work incen- tives. Many
of these programs have implicit tax rates in that their payments are
reduced as labor earnings increase, so that the overall increase in income
resulting from work is less than earnings, being reduced by the decrease
or total loss of program support. These implicit tax rates, like those of the
explicit income tax, can discourage work. Accordingly, the following
trade-offs present themselves in unemployment insurance, welfare, and
other transfer program policy options: (1) cutting program payments, thus
encouraging people to look for jobs, but also reducing income to those
who fail to find jobs, and (2) granting income to eligible persons
independently of their work experience, thus removing the disincentive
effect of the programs on work effort (although also possibly supporting
people who don't need the income). A sample "independent payment"
program would be to give a lump-sum unemployment insurance payment
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to a person when he becomes unemployed rather than paying him an
amount for each week of unemployment. Under this arrangement, there is
no incentive for an individual to remain unemployed, since he receives no
additional payments to compensate for lengthy unemployment. However,
because an individual would receive the same amount if the duration of
his unemployment were brief or lengthy, individuals with short periods of
unemployment might he "over-subsidized "
2.4 TYPES OF UNEMPLOYMENT
According to economist Edmond Malinvaud, the type of unemployment
that occurs depends on the situation at the goods market, rather than that
they belong to opposing economic theories. If the market for goods is a
buyers' market (i.e.: sales are restricted by demand), Keynesian
unemployment may ensue while a limiting production capacity is more
consistent with classical unemployment.
2.4.1 Frictional unemployment
Frictional unemployment occurs when a worker moves from one job to
another. While he searches for a job he is experiencing frictional
unemployment. This is a productive part of the economy, increasing both
the worker's long term welfare and economic efficiency.
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2.4.2 Classical unemployment
Classical or real-wage unemployment occurs when real wages for a job
are set above the market-clearing level. This is often ascribed to
government intervention, as with the minimum wage, or labour unions.
Some, such as Murray Rothbard, suggest that even social taboos can
prevent wages from falling to the market clearing level.
2.4.3 Structural unemployment
Structural unemployment is caused by a mismatch between jobs offered
by employers and potential workers. This may pertain to geographical
location, skills, and many other factors. If such a mismatch exists,
frictional unemployment is likely to be more significant as well.
2.4.4 Seasonal unemployment occurs when an occupation is not in demand at
certain seasons.
2.4.5 Keynesian unemployment
Cyclical or Keynesian unemployment, also known as demand deficient
unemployment, occurs when there is not enough aggregate demand for
the labour. This is caused by a business cycle recession, and wages not
falling to meet the equilibrium rate.
2.4.6 Involuntary unemployment
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Involuntary unemployment does not exist in agrarian societies nor is it
formally recognized to exist in underdeveloped but urban societies such
as the mega-cities of Africa and of India/Pakistan, given that, in such
societies, the suddenly unemployed person must meet his survival needs,
by getting a new job quickly at any strike price, entrepreneurship, or
joining the invisible economy of the hustler.
2.4.7 Politics Causes Unemployment
Chronic unemployment is obviously a political disease that springs from
the primitive notion that government can improve everyone's income and
working conditions by legislation and regulation. It is an affliction that
stems from misinterpretation and misinformation about work and income
and from an undaunted faith in collective force and coercion. It clearly
reflects the spirit and mentality of our age. Unless they soon give way to
the spirit of individual freedom and enterprise the rate of unemployment
is likely to rise.
2.5 COST/EFFECTS OF UNEMPLOYEMENT
2.5.1 Individual: Unemployed individuals are unable to earn money to meet
financial obligations. Failure to pay mortgage payments or to pay rent
may lead to homelessness through foreclosure or eviction.
Unemployment increases susceptibility to malnutrition, illness, mental
27
stress, and loss of self-esteem, leading to depression. Another cost for the
unemployed is that the combination of unemployment, lack of financial
resources, and social responsibilities may push unemployed workers to
take jobs that do not fit their skills or allow them to use their talents.
Unemployment can cause underemployment.
2.5.2 Society: An economy with high unemployment is not using all of the
resources, i.e. labour, available to it. Since it is operating below its
production possibility frontier, it could have higher output if all the
workforce were usefully employed. However, there is a tradeoff between
economic efficiency and unemployment: if the frictionally unemployed
accepted the first job they were offered, they would be likely to be
operating at below their skill level, reducing the economy's efficiency. It
is estimated that, during the Great Depression, unemployment due to
sticky wages cost the US economy about $4,000 billion. This is many
times larger than losses due to monopolies, cartels and tariffs.
During a long period of unemployment, workers can lose their skills,
causing a loss of human capital. Being unemployed can also reduce the
life expectancy of workers by about 7 years. High unemployment can
encourage xenophobia and protectionism as workers fear that foreigners
are stealing their jobs. Efforts to preserve existing jobs of domestic and
native workers include legal barriers against "outsiders" who want jobs,
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obstacles to immigration, and/or tariffs and similar trade barriers against
foreign competitors.
Finally, a rising unemployment rate concentrates the oligopoly power of
employers by increasing competition amongst workers for scarce
employment opportunities.
Above those mentioned, there are many social and economic effects they include:
-A loss of production and output because those who are unemployed are not able to add towards GDP.
-A misallocation of resources this occurs because those who are employed will have the burden of paying for the unemployed. This in time will result in a fall in living standards.
-A decline in labour market skills because those who are persistently unemployed will lose valuable skills.
-A cost to the government for the simple reason that the government must fund the unemployed increasing its budget deficit.
-High unemployment means there is an excess supply of jobs. This means that employers can more easily find labour and are less likely to increase wages to attract workers.
-High unemployment often results in increased domestic violence, crime, health problems and negative psychological effects.
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2.6 AIDING THE UNEMPLOYED (CURE/SOLUTION TO UNEMPLOYMENT)
The most developed countries have aids for the unemployed as part of the
welfare state. These unemployment benefits include unemployment
insurance, welfare, unemployment compensation and subsidies to aid in
retraining. The main goal of these programs is to alleviate short-term
hardships and, more importantly, to allow workers more time to search
for a good job.
At an individual level, the solution to unemployment may be as simple as
getting a job, or getting more training.
Societies try a number of different measures to get as many people as
possible into work. However, attempts to reduce the level of
unemployment beyond the Natural rate of unemployment generally fail,
resulting only in less output and more inflation.
2.7 MEASUREMENT OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Though many people care about the number of unemployed, economists
typically focus on the unemployment rate. This corrects for the normal
increase in the number of people employed due to increases in population
and increases in the labor force relative to the population. The
30
unemployment rate is expressed as a percentage, and is calculated as
follows:
The ILO (INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION) describes 4
different methods to calculate the unemployment rate.
Labour Force Sample Surveys are the most preferred method of
unemployment rate calculation since they give the most comprehensive
results and enables calculation of unemployment by different group
categories such as race and gender. This method is the most
internationally comparable.
Official Estimates are determined by a combination of information from
one or more of the other three methods. The use of this method has been
declining in favour of Labour Surveys.
Social Insurance Statistics such as unemployment benefits, are computed
base on the number of persons insured representing the total labour force
and the number of persons who are insured that are collecting benefits.
This method has been heavily criticized due to the expiration of benefits
before the person finds work.
Employment Office Statistics are the least effective being that they only
include a monthly tally of unemployed persons who enter employment
offices.
31
These percentages represent the usual rough ranking of these different
groups' unemployment rates. The absolute numbers change over time and
with the business cycle.
2.8 CONSEQUENCES OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment has obvious and well-documented links to economic
disadvantage and has also been connected in some discussion to higher
crime rates (Cantor and Land 1985; Ottosen and Thompson 1996),
especially among the young (Britt 1994), suicide, and homicide (Yang
and Lester 1994; Ottosen and Thompson 1996). Garry Ottosen and
Douglas Thompson (1996) broaden the consequences of unemployment,
relating it to increases in the incidences of alcoholism, child abuse, family
breakdown, psychiatric hospitalization, and a variety of physical
complaints and illnesses. Some researchers have emphasized the
importance of preventing youth from falling into unemployment traps.
Robert Gitter and Markus Scheuer (1997) suggest that unemployment
among youth not only causes current hardship, but may also hinder future
economic success. This is because unemployed youths are not able to
gain experience and on-the-job training and because a history of
joblessness signals that the individual may not have the qualities that are
valued in the labor market.
32
Unemployment may impair the functioning of families (see, for example,
Liker and Elder 1983; Barling 1990) by affecting the parents' interactions
with their children and the interactions between partners. Although it has
been shown that unemployed parents spend more time with their children,
the quality of these interactions suffers in comparison with those of
employed parents. Unemployment, particularly among male partners, is
also likely to lead to major role changes in the home. For example,
whether it is because they have more time or they feel that they have
to undertake additional household duties when they are no longer
the financial provider for the family, unemployed husbands are
more likely to increase their participation in domestic activities
(e.g., household tasks, shopping, meal preparation). In some
circumstances, the loss of financial responsibility among husbands
may lead to discontent within the marriage: unemployed husbands
are more likely to have disagreements and arguments with their
spouses than are employed husbands, and this has the potential to
lead to spouse abuse and marriage dissolution.
2.9 How unemployment is individual and social problem
Unemployment is caused by many factors in a modern market economy.
It can be caused by rapid technological change, business cycle or
recessions, seasonal factors in some industries particularly such as
33
changes in tastes and climatic conditions which affects demand for
certain products and services, individual perceptions and willingness to
work and search for jobs, their values and attitudes towards some jobs
and about employers, accessibility for retraining and acquisition of work
skills, willingness and perception of unemployed of the benefits of
training and the possibility for them to get a job after the training even
though they have a chance to get a job, discrimination in the workplace
based on race, color. religion, ethnicity, age and class.
It can be seen from the above causes unemployment in a particular period
can be a combination of caused by social factors and how the economy as
a whole works and also due to the subjective individual factors. In a
sociological point of view according to functionalist and conflict theorists
the unemployment is caused primarily by the social factors than by the
individual factors. However according to Max Weber and symbolic
interaction theories individuals construct their own social constructs and
perception and they can be subjective in their behavior and there fore can
become unemployed even though the actual condition they can get a job
in the job market.
34
Among the openly unemployed rural population, almost two-thirds were
secondary-school graduates.
REFFERENCES
http://www.google.ca/search?
hl=en&q=CAUSES+OF+UNEMPLOYMENT&meta=
http://www.google.ca/search?
hl=en&q=CAUSES+OF+UNEMPLOYMENT&meta=
http://www.bizcovering.com/Business-and-Society/Causes-of-
Unemployment.42495
<a href="http://family.jrank.org/pages/1724/Unemployment-
Consequences-Unemployment.html">Unemployment - Consequences Of
Unemployment</a>
35
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4732102/Employment-in-
Nigeria-Brief-Article.html
http://www.photius.com/countries/nigeria/economy/
nigeria_economy_unemployment.html
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
The research method selected for the study is a combination of a survey
and an industrial study. The survey research method is described
hereunder that:
(i) It is a design in which primary data is gathered from members of
the sample that represents a specific population;
(ii) It is a design in which a structure and systematic research
instrument like a questionnaire or an interview schedule is utilized
together with the primary data;
36
(iii) It is a method in which the researcher manipulates no explanatory
variables because they have already occurred and so they cannot be
manipulated;
(iv) Data are got directly from the subjects;
(v) The subjects give the data the natural settings of their workplaces;
(vi) The answers of the respondents are assumed to be largely
unaffected of the Context in which they are brought;
(vii) The impacts of the confounding factors are “controlled”
statistically; and
(viii) The aim of the research may span from the exploration phenomena
to hypotheses testing (stone 1995).
The survey research method has some merit, which are to be articulated
hereunder: In the survey research method, the sample of the respondents
is selected in such a way as to make for the generally low due to the
utilization of big sample sizes, which results in generally low sample
errors. Also the probability sampling techniques utilized in selecting the
samples of the respondents in a survey especially, the selecting the
samples of the respondents in a survey especially, the random sampling
techniques makes it possible to give every element in the population a
known and chance of belonging to the sample and by so doing, sample
bias is either minimised or completely eliminated (Stone 1995). Sampling
37
even as a compromise has a lot of strength. The survey research method
also has the merit that data collection takes place in the “natural” settings
of the workplace rather than an activated laboratory. Data is collected
directly from the respondents. The advantage that the survey yields data
that suggests new hypothesis is very illuminating. There is also the merit
that a set of systematic data collection instruments such as questionnaire
interview schedules and observation gadgets can either be used alone or
in conjunction with other instruments (Stone, 1995).
The survey research method also has some demerits. There is the demerit
that there is a decreased willingness of the subjects to give responses to
survey probes. There is the demerit that most surveys are “one shot” or at
most “two short” as opposed to the panel type of research design, in
which repeated measures are taken on the same sample using
questionnaires. The result of this shortcoming is that the ability of the
survey research method to yield data with which to test the causal
relationships of variables is minimized (stone, 1995).
There is also the demerit of the survey that in terms of total expenditure,
the survey research methods is a highly costly research method due to a
large administrative, and/or personnel and travel expenses especially
when the research and the field data collectors have to do several trips to
get at some subjects that were not originally available. There is also the
38
demerit that the structured and pre-arranged response formats of many
survey measures e.g. questionnaires and structure interview schedules
many compel the subjects to give response which they do not really
accept (stone, 1995 ).
Apart from the choice of the survey research design, the industry is also
chosen for the study. The study on the internal control in the aviation
industry is for only industry and there was the need to deliver
questionnaires to the managers in at least two firing investigation in some
depth.
3.2 SAMPLING
Spiegel (1992) observes that sampling theory is a study of the
relationship existing between a population or universe and the samples
drawn from it. The population in this study is the entire staff of the firm.
In order to make conclusions of sample theory and statistical references
to be valid, a sample must be selected as to be representative of the
population (Spiegel, 1992 ). One way in which a representative sample
may be got, is by the process of stratified random sampling. In this
research work, the technique of simple random sampling is used to select
the sample of 100 respondents from a total sample size of 200.
39
The list of all the senior staff in the two firms in the aviation industry is
got from the personnel department of the firms in the industry. The
numbers are written on a piece of paper, put in a basket and the papers are
folded to cover the numbers and one of the pieces of paper is selected at a
time without replacing it and any name corresponding to the number
becomes a number of the sample. This method of sampling without
replacement is done until the sample of 100 respondents per firm is got.
3.3 DATA COLLECTION
As earlier stated, the primary data collection instrument in this study was
the questionnaire. In the questionnaire method of primary data collection,
a heavy dependence was placed on verbal reports from the subjects to get
information on the role of packaging as a management strategy.
The questionnaire had a lot of merits. It needed less skill to administer.
Further, Questionnaire can be administered to a big number of individuals
at the same time. Also with a specific research budget, it was usually
possible to cover a brooder area and to get information from more
subjects by a questionnaire. The impersonal nature of a questionnaire, its
structure and standardized wording, its order of question, its standardized
instructions for recording answers might make one to conclude that if
40
offers some uniformity from one measurement occasion to another
(Selltiz et al, 1976).
Another merit of questionnaire was that subjects may have a bigger
confidence in their anonymity, and thus feel freer to express views they
feel might be disapproved-Another attribute of the questionnaire that is
sometimes, through not always desirable is that it might place less
pressure on the subjects for immediate response (Selltiz et al, 1976).The
questionnaire also has some demerits. It has been estimated that for
purpose of giving dependable responses to a questionnaire, one
respondents must be considerable educated, Thus one of the demerits of
the usual questionnaire is that it is appropriate only for with a
considerable amount of education. There is also the demerit that subject
may be reluctant and unable to report on the particular subject matter.
Also, if a subject misinterprets a question or give his or her answer in a
batting manner, there is often a little that can be done to ameliorate the
situation. In a questionnaire, the information the researcher gets is limited
to the fixed alternative answer format, when a specific answer is not
available, it can lead to errors (Selltiz, 1976).
There is also limitation of memory in reporting on past facts. There is
also a problem beyond memory. Usually, the cause of a failure to report
41
past facts is not forgetting in the usual sense of the word but rather, it may
be motivational. Also the researcher is not a policeman that can compel
answers. That is, the information may not be readily accessible to the
subject and thus the subject may be reluctant to put forth enough
alternative information that he or she is only barely conscious of (Selltiz
et al, 1996).
In this research project a structured and undisguised questionnaire is
utilised which is made up of two parts namely, the personal data section
and the section on the data on the actual subject matter of the work. The
questionnaire is undisguised in the sense that the purpose of the data
collection which is to collect primary data for writing up the researcher’s
HND project is made known to the 200 respondents. The questionnaire is
structured in the sense that the questions are logically sequenced and are
to be asked to the respondents in the same manner and no follow up
questions are to be allow. Some of the questions are of the fixed
alternative answer format type. Ten (10) of the questions have yes or no
answers, Ten (10) of the questions have alternative answers for the
respondents to tick.
The structured questionnaire has the merit that it yields data that is easier
to analyse than data produced by an unstructured questionnaire. Also the
structured nature diminishes both researchers and research instrument
42
biases. It however has the demerit that the rigidity of the research
instrument diminishes the amount of information that could be got.
The method of communication of the research instrument is by means of
the personal interview. The method has the merit that it produces a better
sample of the population than either mail or the telephone methods. It
also has the merit that it gives a very high completion and response rates.
It has the merit that the interview has a bigger sensitivity
misunderstandings by the respondents and gives a chance for clarification
of misunderstood questions.
It has the merit that it is a very feasible method (Selltiz et al, 1976). The
personal interview method has the demerit that it is more costly than the
mail or the telephone methods of communication of a questionnaire.
3.4 FIELD WORK
The researcher and three other field data collectors did the fieldwork.
The field data collectors were other classmates also offering the part-time
HND program, who have also offered Research Methodology and are
staff of the firm’s studies and so they had no problem gaining entrance in
the firms. They were to be trained by the researchers on how to gain
entry , greet the respondents and , how to tick the questionnaire correctly,
and honestly.
43
3.5 DESCRIPTION OF DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
TOOLS
The data presentation tools were simple bar charts, histograms, and
pictorial tables. The most important parts of a table include;
(a) Table numbers
(b) Title of the table
(c) Caption
(d) Stub or the designation of the rows and columns
(e) The body of the table.
(f) The head note or prefatory note or explanatory just before
the title;
(g) Foot note, which is an explanation not at the end of the page
(h) source note, which refers to the literally or scientific source
of the table(Mills and Walter 1995)
Anyiwe (1994) has observed that a table has the following merits
over a prose information that;
(i) A table ensure an easy location of the required figures;
(j) Comparisons are easily made utilizing a table than a prose
information;
44
(k) Patterns or trends within the figures which cannot be
visualised in the prose information can be revealed and
better depicted by a table; and
A table is more concise and takes up a less space than a
prose formation:
The data is to be analysed by means of percentage, cross tabulation
and the z test of population proportions for testing the three
hypotheses. Percentages express the ration of two sets of data to a
common base of 100. Percentages facilitate comparison and
address the problem of the misleading tendency of absolute in
which 8 over 10 is greater than 12 over 15 as the first ratio gives a
percentages of 80 while the later gives a percentages of 75 . Cross
tabulation involves utilising a table to display two or more
variables. The z test of population of the respondents who said yes
to a particular yes or no question is given at 5% level of
significance to a particular (Spiegel, 1992)
It is in this respect that this study finds it worthwhile to address the following questions using time series data for a 31-year period, 1970-2000: (a) what is the
45
nature of relationship between poverty, unemployment and growth in Nigeria? (b) what steps should be taken to ensure that growth is such that brings about decrease in unemployment and poverty in Nigeria?
REFERECES
Anyiiwe, E. M. A. EXOSTAT! Statistical Handbook of Economist,
Social Scientists, (Yaba, Lagos: Ama Resources
Nigeria Limited, 1994)
Mills, G. Ho, and Wallter, J. A. Technical Writing, (New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, 1995)
Selltiiiz, C. Wrightsman, L. S., and cook, S. W. Research Methods in Social
Relations,(New York: Holt, Rinehart and
Winstons, 1976).
Spiegel, M. R. Schaun’s outline of theory and problems of
statistics in S. I. Units, (New York: Mcgraw-hill
book company 1992)
46
Stone, E. Research method in organisational behaviour (Santa, Monica,
California:Good Year publishing company
incorporated, 1995).
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, the research methods and procedures have been
handled. In this chapter the data presentation and analysis are to be done.
The data is to be presented by means of tables, two simple bar charts, one
histogram and one pie chart to make it amenable for further analysis. By
analysis, it meant the act of noting relationship and aggregating the set of
variables with similar attributes and also breaking the unit of their
components (Mills and Walters 1995).
47
In this research work, the researcher accepts the contention of Podsakoff
and Dalton (1995) that the factual information from the data can be used
as a basis for reasoning, calculation and discussion.
Apart from the heading above, the other headings in this chapter includes:
1. Data presentation,
2. Percentage analysis
3. Cross- tabulated analysis
4. Hypothesis testing
4.2 DATA PRESENTATION
TABLE 1
THE SUMMARY OF THE PERSONAL DATA OF THE RESPONDENTS
1
2
3
4
SEX
Male
Female
Total
Marital status
Married
Single
Total
AGE
21-30 years
31-40 years
41-50 years
51-60 years
Total
HIGHER EDUCATIONAL QUAIFICATION
FREQUENCY
150
50
200
130
70
200
90
90
10
10
200
Angles suspended in degree
48
DIPLOMA
OND
HND
FIRST DEGREE
SECOND DEGREE
ACA
TOTAL
10
30
80
20
40
20
200
18
54
144
36
32
36
360
The marital statuses of the 200 respondents, it is found that 130 of them
are married while 70 of them are single. For the ages of the 200
respondents they are 21-30 years, 31-40 years, 15-60 years with
frequencies of 90 and 10 respectively. For the highest educational
qualification of the 200 respondents they are diploma, OND, HND, First
Degree, Second Degree, A.C.A. and they have frequencies of 10, 30, 80,
20, 40 and 20 respectively.
Figure 4.1 below shows the simple bar chart of the data on the sex of the
respondents
FIGURE 4.1: THE SIMPLE BAR CHART OF THE DATA ON THE SEX OF THE
RESPONDENTS
49
MALE
FEMALE
50
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160150
M F Sex of the respondents
MARITAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS
MARITAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS
SINGLEMARRIED
Fre
qu
en
cy
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Source: from data in table 1
From figure 4.1 above, it is shown that male respondents have the modal
frequency of 150 of the 200 respondents while the female respondents
have the frequency of 50 of them.
Figure 4.2 below shows the simple bar chart of the data on the marital
statuses of the respondents.
FIGURE 4.2: THE SIMPLE BAR CHART OF THE DATA ON THE MARITAL STATUSES OF THE RESPONDENTS
50
MARITAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTSFrequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid MARRIED 130 65.0 65.0 65.0
SINGLE 70 35.0 35.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0
From figure 4.2 above, it is shown that the married respondents have the
modal frequency of 130 out of the 200 respondents while the single
respondents have the frequency of 70 of them.
FIGURE 4.3: THE HISTOGRAM OF THE DATA ON THE AGES OF THE RESPONDENTS.
51
AGE OF THE RESPONDENTSFrequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
PercentValid 21 - 30 YEARS 90 45.0 45.0 45.0
31 -40 YEARS 90 45.0 45.0 90.0
41 - 50 YEARS 10 5.0 5.0 95.0
51 - 60 YEARS 10 5.0 5.0 100.0
Total 200 100.0 100.0
AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS
4.03.02.01.0
AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS
Fre
qu
en
cy
100
80
60
40
20
0
Std. Dev = .78
Mean = 1.7
N = 200.00
SOURCE: From the data in Table 1.
From figure 4.3 above, it is shown that the age classes are 20.5-30.5
years, 30.5-40.5 years, 40.5-50.5 years and 50.5-60.5 years with
frequencies of 90, 10, and 10 out of 200 respectively. This shows that
this is a bi-modal distribution as the age classes of 20.5-30.5 years and
30.5-40.5 years have a frequency of 10.
Figure 4.4 below shows the pie chart of the data on the highest
educational qualifications of the 200 respondents.
FIG.4.4 THE PIE CHART OF THE DATA ON THE HIGHEST
EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS OF THE 200 RESPONDENTS
52
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTSFrequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
PercentValid DIPLOMA 10 4.8 5.0 5.0
OND 30 14.3 15.1 20.1HND 80 38.1 40.2 60.3
FIRST DEGREE 19 9.0 9.5 69.8
SECOND DEGREE 40 19.0 20.1 89.9
ACA 20 9.5 10.1 100.0Total 199 94.8 100.0
Missing System 11 5.2Total 210 100.0
SOURCE: From the data in table 1.
From figure 4.4 above, the Highest Educational Qualifications are
Diploma, O.N.D, First Degree, Second Degree and A.C.A and the
53
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS
Missing
ACA
SECOND DEGREE
FIRST DEGREE HND
OND
DIPLOMA
subtend angles equal to 180 , 540 , 1440 , 360 , 720 and 360 and respectively
at the center of the circle.
PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS
Table 2 below shows the percentage analysis of the responses to the yes or no Questions.
S/N QUESTIONS YES % NO % TOTAL
IN NUM.
TOTAL
IN %
1 Can unemployment be caused by an individual?
190 95 10 5 200 100
2 Is there any relationship between poverty, unemployment and growth?
200 100 0 0 200 100
3 Does government regulation cause unemployment?
190 95 10 5 200 100
4 Can unemployment leads to sickness and mental disorder?
180 90 20 10 200 100
5 Does unemployment leads to homelessness and loss of self-esteem?
200 100 0 0 200 100
6 Can we say that unemployment is one of the causes of youth disturbances in the community?
100 80 40 20 200 100
54
7 Is unemployment a social problem?
200 100 0 0 200 100
8 Can government do something to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country?
170
85 30 15 200 100
9 Does politics contribute to the cause of unemployment? 200 100 0 200 100
10 Is it possible eradicate unemployment totally from the society?
200 100 0 0 200 100
SOURCE: From the questionnaires administered
Table 2 above shows the answers to the yes or no questions in both
absolute numbers and percentages. The 200 respondents were asked if the
unemployment be caused by an individual. 190 of them making 95% said
yes and 10 of them making 5% of them said no. The 200 respondents
were asked whether there is any relationship between poverty,
unemployment and growth. 100 respondents making 50% of them said
yes. The respondents were asked if government regulation can cause
unemployment, 190 of them making 95% of them said yes while 10 of
them making 5% of them said no.
The 200 respondents are asked whether unemployment can lead to
sickness and mental disorder, 180 of them making 90% said yes and 20
of them making 10% of them said no. The 200 respondents were asked if
unemployment can lead to homelessness and loss of self-esteem 100 of
them making 50% said yes. The 200 respondents were asked whether
55
unemployment is one of the causes of youth disturbances in the
community. 160 of them making 80% of them said yes and 40 of them
making 20% of them said no.
The 200 respondents are asked if unemployment is a social problem.
100% of them said yes. The 200 respondents are asked if government can
do something to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country. 170 of
them making 85% of them said yes and 30 of them making 15% of them
said no. The 200 respondents are asked if politics contribute to the cause
of unemployment 100% of them said yes. They were asked if it is
possible to eradicate unemployment totally from the society.100 of them
said yes.
`4.4 CROSS – TABULATED ANALYSIS
Table: 3 below shows the analysis of the statuses of the 200 respondents
TABLE: 3 THE ANALYSIS OF THE STATUSES OF THE 200 RESPONDENTS.
STATUS FREQUENCY PROPORTION
SENIOR
STAFF
80 0.4
JUNIOR STAFF 120 0.6
TOTAL 200 1
SOURCES: From the questionnaires administered.
56
From the table 3 above, it is shown that the 200 respondents has the
proportion of 0.4 for senior staff and 0.6 for the junior staff making a
proportion of 1 in all .
TABLE 4: THE ANALYSIS OF THE COST OF
UNEMPLOYMENT
COST OF UNEMPLOYMENT F P(%)
i. individual 110 0.55
ii. society 90 0.45
TOTAL 200 1
F. Stands for frequency, p for proportion.
SOURCE: from the questionnaires administered.
From table 4 above it is shown that the cost of unemployment are:
1. cost to individual
2. cost to the society
57
They have frequencies of 110and 90 respectively out of 200 making
proportions of the total of 0.55, and 0.45 respectively.
TABLE 5: THE ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES OF UNEMPLOYMENT
CAUSES OF UNEMPLOYMENT FREQUENCY PROPORTIONi. Economic growth 40 20
ii. Technological advancement 35 17.5
iii. Politics 30 15
iv. Government regulation 55 27.5
v. Individual 40 20
Total 200 100
SOURCE: From the questionnaires administered.
From Table 5 above, it is shown that the major causes of unemployment
by the respondents are economic growth, technological advancement,
politics, government regulation and individual. They have frequencies of
40, 35, 30, 55 and 40 respectively out of 200 making proportions of the
total of 20, 17.5, 15, 27.5 and 20 respectively.
58
Table 6 below shows the analysis of the components of their internal
control system
TABLE. 6: THE ANALYSIS OF THE COMPONENTS OF THEIR
PACKAGING SYSTEM.
COMPONENT FREQUENCY PROPORTION
I: inputs 75 0.375
Ii: processing units
85 0.425
Iii: outputs 40 0.20
TOTAL 200 1.000
Source: From the questionnaire administered
From table 6 above it is shown that the components of their packaging
system are processing units, Inputs and output in a descending order of
magnitude. They have frequencies of 85. 75 and 40 respectively
TABLE:7 THE ANALYSIS OF THE UNEMPLOYMENT MEASUREMENT
MEASUREMENT FREQUENCY PROPORTION
1: Official Estimates 58 29
2: Labour Force Sample Surveys materials
60 30
3: Social Insurance Statistics 17 8.5
4. Employment Office Statistics 65 32.5
200 100
SOURCE: From the questionnaires administered.
59
From table 7 above, the constraints on packaging system are lack of
knowledge of materials, choice of packaging materials and cost of
packaging. They have frequencies of 82,60,and 58 out of 200 respectively
giving proportions of 0.41, 0.30, and 0.29 respectively.
4.5 HYPOTHESES TESTING
Three hypotheses are to be tested as follows, that the proportion of the respondents that said yes is 90% when asked:
1. If UNEMPLOYMENT IS CAUSE BY INDIVIDUAL;
2. If UNEMPLOYMENT IS CAUSE BY GOVERNMENT REGULATION
3. If UNEMPLOYMENT IS CAUSE BY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
The alternative hypotheses in each case are that the proportion is greater
than 90% at 5% level of significance. The z test of the population
proportions is used.
TABLE 8: THE COMPUTATIONAL DETAILS OF THE THREE
HYPOTHESES
HYPOTHESES NO.
CALCULATED VALUES
TABLE VALUE
DECISION
1 2.357 1.045 Reject Ho
2 4.714 1.645 Reject Ho
3 4.714 1.645 Reject Ho
HO: P = 0.9
HA: P > 0.9
SOURCE: From the data in table 2 and from the statistical table
From table 8 above it is shown that for each of the three hypotheses, the
calculated value is greater than the table value and so the null hypotheses
60
in each case is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted. So in
each case the proportion of the respondents who said yes is greater than
90%
REFERENCES
Mills. G .A AND Walter, J.A.C. 1995)
Technical writing New York: holt. Rinehart and Winston.
Podsakoff, p.m and Dalton, P.R. (research methodology in
organisational studies. Journal of management. Volume 13,
number 2, 419 – 441
61
CHAPTER FIVE
FINDINGS, SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 FINDINGS
Through this research, the researcher has been able to discover and
established the fact that:
1. The unemployed are those who want and are able to work but who
have no work at present. They might alternatively be described as having
no work, being available for work, and looking for a job or waiting for
their work to resume or begin in the near future
2. Unemployment levels are increasing dramatically in many parts of the world.
62
3. Unemployment has obvious and well-documented links to
economic disadvantage and has also been connected in some
discussion to higher crime rates this our country.
4.
5.2 SUMMARYAccording to Adrian Sinfield, when there is high unemployment
(1) the employed feel less secure;
(2) workers are less willing to leave unsatisfactory jobs;
(3) divisions in society increase;
(4) the prospect of equality of opportunity decreases. Some local areas
can develop a culture of despair. Lea and Young argue that this occurred
in some inner cities of Britain and helped cause the riots of the 1980s.
Various attempts have been made to link unemployment to many social
ills such as ill-health, premature death, attempted and actual suicide,
marriage breakdown, child battering, racial conflicts and football
hooliganism. There is evidence to link unemployment to poor health. For
example,
(1) some unemployed graduates in this nation had poorer mental health
than employed ones; (2) in 1971 a study based on the British census
found a 20% higher mortality rate among the unemployed than among the
employed; (3) a 1982 study of Edinburgh found the suicide and attempted
63
suicide rate of unemployed men was 20 times higher than that of
employed men; (4) studies indicate that children of the unemployed are
not as tall as those of the employed. Such studies do not actually show
that unemployment causes ill health, but they establish a statistical
correlation. Chas Critcher, Bella Dicks and Dave Waddington in the early
1990s studied the effect of unemployment on two pit villages in
Yorkshire using a questionnaire method. In both villages pit closure
resulted in significant long-term unemployment, and there were high
stress levels throughout the community. Women suffered as much as
men; wives of miners had to bear the brunt of family poverty and cope
with male despair. There were social and economic problems for the
community as a whole, and the fabric of the villages started to decay.
Crime increased. Both villages were communities that had experienced
total disorientation. Unemployment costs the taxpayer. Between 1979 and
1985 unemployment benefits amounted to 33 billion. There is also a loss
of tax revenue, since people who are out of work do not pay taxes.
In Nigeria, the national unemployment rate, estimated by the
Office of Statistics as 4.3 percent of the labour force in 1985, increased to
5.3 percent in 1986 and 7.0 percent in 1987, before falling to 5.1 percent
in 1988 as a result of measures taken under the SAP. Most of the
unemployed were city dwellers, as indicated by urban jobless rates of 8.7
64
percent in 1985, 9.1 percent in 1986, 9.8 percent in 1987, and 7.3 percent
in 1988. Underemployed farm labour, often referred to as disguised
unemployed, continued to be supported by the family or village, and
therefore rural unemployment figures were less accurate than those for
urban unemployment.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) is trying to do something
about unemployment in Nigeria. The ILO says that 6.4-million Nigerians
are looking for work, which would make the unemployment rate there 4.7
percent.
5.3 CONCLUSION
The unemployed can be distinguished from the much larger number who
are employed, on their own account or by an employer, or who, unlike the
employed and the unemployed, are not in the labour force. The employed
have jobs, although some may be temporarily absent from work because
of illness, strikes, bad weather, etc. Those not in the labour force do not
want to or cannot participate in the LABOUR MARKET. They include
housewives, students, retirees, etc.
Because of the unemployment problem and all the evils that it brings
about, the large youth population is often considered more a burden than
a boon for the nation by the general people, but not so by the policy
65
makers who continue to remain optimistic and inspire others into
believing that it is this youth who will change the future of the nation for
the better.
5.4 RECOMMENDATION
The trust for modernization in African countries has produced a variety of
unintended consequences which created in-coherences in the social and
psychological worlds of large number of citizens.
Cyclical unemployment is caused by the economic downturns. When the
economy improves the unemployment rate falls. In this case, is it
recommended that government should be more concern about the
improvement of nation’s economy.
-Structural unemployment is caused by changes in the structure of the
economy. I.e. a technological shift can replace jobs that used to be held
by often low skilled or unskilled workers. It recommended that people
should engage themselves constantly in training and retraining in order to
meet the ever-changing need/demand in the labour market.
-Frictional unemployment is caused by those who are temporarily
unemployed moving from one job to another. At any one time there will
be some who are frictionally unemployed. The researcher hereby
66
recommend that people should be satisfied with their current employment
to avoid move about.
-Seasonal unemployed are those such as grape pickers who are
unemployed for half the season because there is a lack of demand for
them in a particular season. When the season of the job elapses, people
should not relax but move to a different job.
-Long term unemployed are those who have been out of work for 18
months or longer. It is usually extremely hard for those people to gain
employment. It is recommended that such people should learn a particular
trade to later become self-employed.
67
REFFERENCES
When persons e number of citizens. When persons experience extreme social dislocations and anxieties with regard to legitimate expectations and values,
they often are in APPENDIX 1 COVERING LETTER
Department of Business Administration Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic
Continuing Education Centre
Km 3 Refinery Road,
Effurun-Warri
Dear sir/ madam,
QUESTIONNAIRE
You will no doubt share with me the conviction that a Higher National Diploma student in the above department is researching on unemployment syndrome among Nigerian graduates: effects and solution
Please take the little time required to complete the attached questionnaire.
68
Your responses are to be kept in the strictest confidence and share under no circumstances to be divulged. They are to be combined with those of other subjects to get composites and averages for writing up the researcher’s HND project.
Yours sincerely,
KATE OMEH.
APPENDIX II: QUESTIONNAIRRE
Unemployment Syndrome among Nigerian graduates: Causes, effects and solution.
PERSONAL DATA
1 SEX: MALE FEMALE
2 Marital status Married Single
Divorced Widowed Separated
3 Age : Less than 20 years 21-30 years
31-40 years 41-50 years Above 60 years
4 Highest Education Qualifications
69
Senior School Certificate Diploma O.N.D
H.N.D. First Degree Second Degree
Professionals Qualification (state which) _______________
(5) Status: Senior Staff Junior Staff
DATA ON UNEMPLOYMENT SYNDROME
(4) Unemployment is a state in which an able-bodied individual is actively seeking, but is
unable to secure, any gainful employment.
Yes No
(6) Is it possible eradicate unemployment totally from the society?
Yes No
(7) Does politics contribute to the cause of unemployment?
Yes NO
(8) Can government do something to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country?
Yes No
(9) Is unemployment a social problem?
expectation Yes No
(10) What are the steps to control unemployment in the country?
Steps
i. Establish goals and standard for al the unemployed graduates
ii. Implementing the plan
70
iii. Measuring performance against goals
iv. Evaluating
v. Taking action if things are okay
vi. Taking corrective action if things are not okay
vii. Modifying plans
viii. Modifying operations
(11) Is Official Estimates, one of the means of measuring unemployment? No
YES
(12) Can we say that unemployment is one of the causes of youth disturbances in the
community?
Yes No
(13) What are the different types of unemployment that is prevalence in the country ?
TYPES
i. Frictional unemployment
ii Employee Incentives
(14) Can Economic Growth cause unemployment?
(15) Does unemployment leads to homelessness and loss of self-esteem?
71
YES NO
YES NO
(16) Can unemployment leads to sickness and mental disorder?
(17) Does government regulation cause unemployment?
(18) Is there any relationship between poverty, unemployment and growth?
(19) Can unemployment be caused by an individual?
(20) Unemployment may impair the functioning of families
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72
NO YES
YES NO
YES NO
NO YES
NO YES
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]http://www.google.ca/search?
hl=en&q=CAUSES+OF+UNEMPLOYMENT&meta=
http://www.google.ca/search?
hl=en&q=CAUSES+OF+UNEMPLOYMENT&meta=
http://www.bizcovering.com/Business-and-Society/Causes-of-
Unemployment.42495
<a href="http://family.jrank.org/pages/1724/Unemployment-Consequences-
Unemployment.html">Unemployment - Consequences Of Unemployment</a>
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4732102/
Employment-in-Nigeria-Brief-Article.html
http://www.photius.com/countries/nigeria/economy/
nigeria_economy_unemployment.html
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