Migration Prospects of Youths Employed in Nigerian Cities

This paper explores the challenge of youth employment in the Nigerian context with a bid to demonstrate interconnections among socio-economic characteristics and incessant youth migration. Univariate and multivariate analysis were carried out with the use of youth data (N=1353) culled from a survey of street traders in urban centres of Nigeria. The analysis results indicate gender, employment status, marital commitments, migrant status and mode of trading as statistically significant determinants of youth migration in search of better opportunities. Owing to the non-availability of desirable jobs for the educated youths, majority seek further migration from their current business locations in search of better job opportunities: both at home and abroad. In order to reduce the incidence of skilled migration we recommend that policy emphasis be placed on vocational and entrepreneurship training. Further, given the growing incidence of urbanization, we noted the crucial need for an employment-generating macroeconomic framework.