The Challenge of Graduate Unemployment: A Case of University Graduates in Mutare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

In Zimbabwe, the problem of university graduates failing to find work is a major issue. It's unclear why the quickly increasing informal sector, which has the capacity to absorb university graduates, is failing to capitalise on university graduates' high-level abilities to boost growth and competitiveness. Many university graduates are looking for employment, doing vending or employed in jobs not directly related to degrees offered in universities.   Snowball sampling was utilised in this exploratory case study to find 42 university graduates in Mutare. Unstructured interviews and observations were utilised to collect information on the barriers that keep graduates from becoming entrepreneurs. The study discovered that the participation of unemployed graduates in entrepreneurship was constrained by their degree orientations and experiences, whereas the growth of graduates who were already in entrepreneurship was constrained by various socioeconomic factors.