YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT, SKILLS MISMATCH AND POST-WAR LIVELIHOOD TRANSITIONS IN SIERRA LEONE: A CASE STUDY OF WATERLOO

Autori

  • Emmanuel Conteh Community Development Studies, Milton Margai Technical University, Sierra Leone
  • Kalie Marah Community Development Studies, Milton Margai Technical University, Sierra Leone

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v12i5.2328

Parole chiave:

youth unemployment, skills mismatch, employability skills, livelihood transitions, post-war Sierra Leone, PLS-SEM, Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

Abstract

Despite the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone 20 years ago, young people in peri-urban areas still suffer from high rates of labour underutilization, but there is little quantitative evidence that can explain how skills, skills fit and post-war structural conditions interact to influence young people's labour-market outcomes and livelihood adjustments. This study builds and tests a structural model that integrates Human Capital Theory, Skills Mismatch Theory and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, in which post-war structural constraints (PWC) influence skills mismatch (SM) and employability skills (ES), which in turn affect youth unemployment and underemployment (YU), and all four constructs are related to livelihood transitions (LT). The cross-sectional survey consisted of 250 young people (18–35 years) in Waterloo and was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM; 5,000 bootstrap subsamples). The reflective measurement model met all reliability and validity criteria (CR = 0.876–0.906; AVE = 0.586–0.660; all HTMT < 0.85). Skills mismatch (β = 0.411) and employability skills (β = −0.410) were the strongest and near-equal competing predictors of YU, with PWC having a direct effect (β = 0.205) and an indirect effect through SM and ES, which accounted for 49.5% of the variance in YU. Livelihood transitions were directly linked to SM (β = 0.312), ES (β = 0.330) and PWC (β = 0.206) but not to YU (β = 0.058, p =.454), suggesting that transitions are not directly tied to being jobless. The results suggest that policy should focus on training to meet local labour demand, and on the reconstruction of skills infrastructure and livelihood portfolios, not job placement.

 

JEL: J24; J64; O15; O55; I25

Biografie autore

  • Emmanuel Conteh, Community Development Studies, Milton Margai Technical University, Sierra Leone

    Emmanuel Conteh, PhD (University of Reading, UK) in Livelihoods (Int. and Rural Development): sound knowledge in livelihoods and sustainable development, rural development, policy implementation and management, intellectual leadership and a comprehensive understanding of agriculture policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations; 10 years of professional working experience in rural development and food security projects. Strong knowledge of (agro-) economic policy issues facing transition economies and emerging markets; Experienced in developing alternative agricultural value chains, rural businesses, marketing and reorganization, including stand-by management.

  • Kalie Marah, Community Development Studies, Milton Margai Technical University, Sierra Leone

    Kalie Marah, I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Management, specializing in Finance, at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), following Bachelor’s degrees in Tourism Management from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) in Community Development Studies/Agriculture from Milton Margai Technical University. My academic and professional interests focus on finance, sustainable tourism, rural livelihoods, community development, agricultural development, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic development. He has professional experience in teaching, examination administration, banking, community mobilization, advocacy, and community liaison activities in Sierra Leone. My research experience includes bibliometric systematic reviews and quantitative economic analysis, using Scopus, SmartPLS, RStudio (Bibliometrix), VOSviewer, and ARDL Bounds Testing. He has co-authored research on local politics and cultural practices in environmental anddisaster management and foreign direct investment and economic growth in Sierra Leone. He has also demonstrated leadership through various community and student- union positions, including President of the National Union of Koinadugu and Falaba Students.

Riferimenti bibliografici

Abebe, T. (2020). Lost futures? Educated youth precarity and protests in the Oromia region, Ethiopia. Children’s Geographies, 584–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2020.1789560

Bangura, K. S., Lynch, K., Binns, T., & Gbanie, S. (2023). Facing post-crisis livelihood challenges? Insights from young farmers in Kenema city, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone. Land Use Policy, 134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106875

Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Human_Capital.html?hl=fr&id=9t69iICmrZ0C&redir_esc=y

Carreras, M., Sumberg, J., & Saha, A. (2021). Work and rural livelihoods: The micro dynamics of Africa’s “youth employment crisis”. European Journal of Development Research, 33(6), 1666–1694. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00310-y

Chambers, R., & Conway, G. R. (1992). Sustainable rural livelihoods: Practical concepts for the 21st century (IDS Discussion Paper 296). Institute of Development Studies. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248535825_Sustainable_rural_livelihoods_practical_concepts_for_the_21st_century

Chipangura, M., Magidi, M., & Brown-Luthango, M. (2026). Is the informal economy a space for ‘waithood’ or a long-term livelihood strategy? Experiences of graduates in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 13(1), 358. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06721-2

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum. Retrieved from https://utstat.toronto.edu/~brunner/oldclass/378f16/readings/CohenPower.pdf

Craney, A. (2021). Seeking a panacea: Attempts to address the failings of Fiji and Solomon Islands formal education in preparing young people for livelihood opportunities. The Contemporary Pacific, 33(2), 338–362. https://doi.org/10.1353/cp.2021.0034

Department for International Development. (1999). Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheets. DFID.

Dijkstra, T. K., & Henseler, J. (2015). Consistent partial least squares path modeling. MIS Quarterly, 39(2), 297–316. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26628355

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354331182_A_Primer_on_Partial_Least_Squares_Structural_Equation_Modeling_PLS-SEM

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

International Labour Organization. (2017). Sierra Leone: School-to-work transition survey country brief. ILO Work4Youth. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/documents/publication/wcms_542024.pdf

Karamchedu, A. (2024). Responses to livelihood precarity in dryland India: Diversifying out of agrarian distress. Development and Change, 55(6), 1289–1314. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12858

Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM: A full collinearity assessment approach. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijec.2015100101

Maconachie, R., & Conteh, F. M. (2025). Stuck in transition? Artisanal mining, livelihood diversification and rural change in Sierra Leone. Extractive Industries and Society, 22, 101604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2024.101604

McGuinness, S., Pouliakas, K., & Redmond, P. (2018). Skills mismatch: Concepts, measurement and policy approaches. Journal of Economic Surveys, 32(4), 985–1015. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12254

Mukwedeya, B., & Mudhara, M. (2023). Factors influencing livelihood strategy choice and food security among youths in Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe. Heliyon, 9(4), e14735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14735

Ngyah-Etchutambe, I. B., Aki, E. M., Mbi, S. E., & Farinkia, N. G. (2022). Informal vocational training and sustainable livelihood skills among unemployed youth in low-income countries: Insights from a SWOT analysis of tailoring apprenticeships in Cameroon. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1027632

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J.-M. (2024). SmartPLS 4 [Computer software]. SmartPLS GmbH.

Sattinger, M. (1993). Assignment models of the distribution of earnings. Journal of Economic Literature, 31(2), 831–880. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/2728516

Schultz, T. W. (1961). Investment in human capital. American Economic Review, 51(1), 1–17. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/1818907

Scoones, I. (1998). Sustainable rural livelihoods: A framework for analysis (IDS Working Paper 72). Institute of Development Studies. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251873585_Sustainable_Rural_Livelihoods_A_Framework_for_Analysis

Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using PLSpredict. European Journal of Marketing, 53(11), 2322–2347. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-02-2019-0189

Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010

Statistics Sierra Leone. (2014). Sierra Leone 2014 labour force survey report. Statistics Sierra Leone. Retrieved from https://www.statistics.sl

Tilahun, M., & Holden, S. T. (2023). Livelihood diversification and migration intentions among land-poor youth in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Do they correlate with livestock assets, trust, and trustworthiness? Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1175572

United Nations Population Fund Sierra Leone. (n.d.). Demographic dividend fact sheets. https://sierraleone.unfpa.org

Yeboah, T., & Boafo, J. (2024). ‘Side-hustling’ in commercial agriculture among young university graduates in Ghana. Geo: Geography and Environment, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/geo2.154

Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257

Dowloads

Pubblicato

2026-10-19

Fascicolo

V. 12 N. 5 (2026)

Sezione

Articles