Feature: Under-employment haunts Cote d'Ivoire degree holders

In an African country that relies heavily on agriculture, there could be limited chances left for higher technical degree holders like Jacques N'goran.

The young man specialized in veterinary medicine in college in Cote d'Ivoire had to engage in small scale farming after a fruitless long period of job hunting.

"While awaiting for the best opportunity, I keep myself busy in my cassava farm," he told Xinhua in an interview.

N'goran's predicament may find resonance among many high-caliber young people in the Western African country, whose humdrum economic structure offers limited career chances, forcing many college graduates to take up menial jobs.

Rene Ake, a holder of a master's degree in modern literature, was selling brochures at the main bus station in Abidjan, after several attempts, in vain, to enter the public service.

The brochures that he sells, mostly to students, contain information on how to write one's curriculum vitae, motivation letters and use of technical expressions in the French language.

"I sell them at 100 CFA Francs per unit (0.17 U.S. dollar)," Ake told Xinhua, adding that he had engaged in the business for the past six years, during which he kept waiting for a better opportunity.

Soro C., 40, has been searching for a job for the last ten years with little success. His degree in philosophy did not help much.

"To avoid being put down by discouragement, I decided to set up a small shop for mobile phone payments and it is through earnings from this shop that I maintain my family," said Soro, now a father of an eight-year-old girl.

Another university graduate, Mikael Koffi, a holder of a master's degree in human resources, spent over six years managing a telephone booth before finding a job at a petrol station.

While working as a petrol station attendant, he still dreamt of a "better position" in future.

Andre Zadi is in a similar situation. With a master's degree in economics, he worked at a telephone booth while remaining hopeful that "the sun will one day shine on him."

DISHEARTENING UNDER-EMPLOYMENT

According to official statistics, unemployment rate in Cote d'Ivoire is estimated at 5.3 percent in line with the "international criteria," but it could hit 25 percent if the "local realities" characterized by under-employment and informal employment were to be taken into account.

A national survey in 2013 indicated that agriculture was the main source of employment, accounting for 43.5 percent of jobs in the country, followed by the services sector (26.4 percent), trade (17.6 percent) and industry (12.5 percent).

It said women are the most affected by unemployment followed by graduates.

Another worrying trend revealed by the survey was that "majority of the unemployed graduates were discouraged from looking for a job" due to factors including corruption, shortage of opportunities and lack of information.

The survey found that 40.3 percent of jobless people had been hit by the syndrome of "discouragement." This is the case of Fatou, the owner of a small salon in Abidjan's Cocody suburb.

"I decided to be contented with my small salon," she said, concluding that "I was discouraged after three attempts to enter the National Administration School, and finally I realized that my master's in law did not amount to much." Endit