The determinants of youth labor market integration in Cameroon: is family Socioeconomic-background more effective than education?

  • Samuel Nouetagni University of Yaounde
  • Mathias Kuepie UNFPA, Democratic Republic of Congo Country Office
Keywords: youth, social inequality, education effectiveness, Labor market, family background

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of socioeconomic background and human capital on young people’s labor market integration. A review of the literature suggests that in addition to human capital, other factors not directly related to individual productivity play an important role in labor market integration.Data Source & Method: The empirical work is based on the analysis of a firsthand biographical database from Bafia, a Cameroonian city. Results: Results show that young people from privileged background are more likely to swiftly enter the wage sector than their peers from disadvantaged background. Conclusion: This result is not only due to the fact that former received more education than the latter but also because of the existence of a sort of privileged birth-related premium not induced by the formal education level.

Author Biography

Samuel Nouetagni, University of Yaounde
2 SOA, Researcher at CERASS
Published
2019-04-09
Section
Articles