Entrepreneurial strategies for dealing with unemployment challenges employed by the graduate youths in Masvingo Urban

Abstract

Youth unemployment remains a national catastrophe in Zimbabwe as long as institutions of higher learning continue to churn out graduates in thousands each year. Graduate youths unemployment is now an observable phenomenon in cities and towns and Masvingo is not spared. The present study aimed at documenting entrepreneurial strategies that are employed by the youths dealing with the scourge of unemployment in Masvingo. Literature about youth unemployment is abundant and point to the scourge as a phenomenon that hounds many governments. The study was qualitative and employed the narrative inquiry research design. A purposive sample was used and semi structured interviews were carried to generate data. The study found out that graduate youths are enterprising and have many strategies of entrepreneurship that they used to deal with unemployment. They engaged in entrepreneurial activities such political activism, folk-art, streetcar wash business and foreign currency dealing. The study recommended that stringent intervention strategies by both government and industry be adopted to reduce rampant youth unemployment.

Keywords

• entrepreneurial
• strategies
• unemployment
• graduate
• youths