Personal Level Challenges Associated with Inability of Youth in Urban Undeserved Settlements to gain Productive Employment

Abstract

Many empirical research studies have highlighted that the majority living in urban underserved settlements are engaged in insecure, low income livelihood sources mainly in the informal sector. In that context, the present study sought to understand the personal level factors contributing to the inability of youth in underserved settlements to gain productive employment. A representative, random sample of one hundred youth (men and women from the age group 15 – 29 years and who have left schools) was selected from two underserved settlements in the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretary‟s Division for the study. The study has identified thirteen factors as the personal level limitations inhibiting their access to productive employment. Dropping out from schools, low level of educational attainment, lack of participation in vocational training, lack of participation in high demanding vocational training programmes in the labour market, limited access to training programmes offered by recognized training providers and dropping out from vocational training programmes were among the first six factors. The next four factors were lack of interest in investing on human capital, lack of skills in obtaining information on human capital investment and on competitive labour markets, low levels of aspirations and passive acceptance of the underprivileged circumstances. High frequency of changing occupations, marriage at very young ages and lack of skills in handling issues relating to personal relationships were among the last three factors. It can be also concluded that the above factors identified are often seen to be inter-related and therefore it is not easy to resolve the multifaceted problems that confront youth in these settlements. Therefore, this interdependence nature has to be considered with much concern in order to find solutions for these problems.