Exploring the transition from informal to formal jobs and its consequent impacts on the livelihood of migrant youths in Lagos metropolis
Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy
ISSN: 1750-6204
Article publication date: 20 July 2022
Issue publication date: 13 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The upsurge in global youth migration remains a major concern for policymakers, politicians and academia at large. Given the emerging interests in youth migration and informal jobs in cities around the world, this study aims to establish the barriers limiting the transition of migrant youths, in informal settings, into formal jobs and the consequent impact on their livelihood.
Design/methodology/approach
Leveraging the push-pull approach of the functionalist migration school, this study uses a primary research design. A structured questionnaire was administered among 150 migrant youths who were selected across informal settings in Lagos, using a convenient sampling technique. Then, a structured face-to-face interview was later conducted among 40 selected migrant youths.
Findings
There is a skill mismatch between the competence of the youths and the requirements of firms in the formal sector, and the migrant youths are largely disenfranchised from opportunities that flow within certain networks. Another critical constraint includes language barrier, ethnicity and religious biases by certain employers. Most migrant youths are economically better off compared to where they came from, even though they are yet to exit the poverty trap.
Originality/value
This study critically examined the challenges faced by the migrant youth population in Lagos, Nigeria, in their bid to transition from informal employment to formal employment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Citation
Adeosun, O.T., Owolabi, K.E., Eshiet, I.C. and Owolabi, T.J. (2023), "Exploring the transition from informal to formal jobs and its consequent impacts on the livelihood of migrant youths in Lagos metropolis", Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 1135-1153. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-02-2022-0020
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited