Skills Mismatch and Graduates’ Unemployment in Geita Region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59645/abr.v17i2.559Keywords:
Skills mismatch, graduate unemployment, employability, higher education reformsAbstract
Graduate unemployment is a growing socio-economic challenge in Tanzania, particularly in the Geita region, where many university graduates struggle to find jobs that match their qualifications. This disconnect is largely attributed to a mismatch between the skills provided by higher education institutions and those demanded by employers. The issue has been compounded by outdated curricula, limited practical training, and insufficient soft skills development. This study investigates the impact of skills mismatch on graduate unemployment in Geita. Grounded in Human Capital Theory and Skills Mismatch Theory, the research explores how educational and labour market misalignment affects employability. Adopting a pragmatism philosophy and a mixed-methods approach, the study used a descriptive research design. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys from 400 graduates selected via stratified random sampling, while qualitative insights were drawn from 100 semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were used for quantitative analysis, and thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. Findings reveal a significant mismatch, with 52.3% of the variance in unemployment explained by skills mismatch (R² = .523, p < .001). The study concludes that revising curricula, expanding practical training, and strengthening university-industry collaboration are essential to addressing the skills gap. These findings offer important implications for higher education and labour market policy in Tanzania.
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