Impact of the internship policy on access to decent employment for graduates in Côte d'Ivoire
Using data from the APEAF survey and employing selection probit and propensity score matching models, this study finds that while Côte d'Ivoire's public internship policy positively influences graduates' access to decent employment by approximately 6.65% through signaling to employers, the overall probability remains limited despite the benefits of higher education degrees.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the complex world of work, economists often look for the invisible threads that connect a person's education to their future livelihood. One of the most persistent questions is how a young person moves from the classroom to a job that offers not just a paycheck, but security, dignity, and a path forward. This concept is known as "decent work," a standard defined by international organizations to include fair wages, safe conditions, and social protections like health insurance. In many developing nations, the path to such employment is often blocked by a lack of experience; employers hesitate to hire graduates who have never held a job, creating a catch-22 where one cannot get a job without experience, but cannot get experience without a job. To break this cycle, governments often step in with policies designed to bridge the gap, such as internship programs that place young people in companies for a set period. The question remains, however, whether these government-sponsored bridges actually lead to stable, high-quality careers, or if they simply keep young people in a state of temporary employment.
Researchers in Côte d'Ivoire set out to answer this question by examining the country's specific efforts to help its graduates find decent work. The nation has seen robust economic growth in recent years, yet this prosperity has not translated into stable jobs for the hundreds of thousands of young people entering the workforce each year. Most jobs available are in the informal sector, lacking contracts or social safety nets. To address this, the government, with support from the World Bank, launched a program in 2012 to provide internships for young graduates. The goal was to give these individuals their first professional experience, hoping it would serve as a signal to employers that they were ready for hire. The researchers, drawing on data from a large survey conducted between 2017 and 2018, wanted to see if this policy actually worked. They compared the career outcomes of graduates who received these internships with those who did not, while also looking at other factors like education level, age, and the type of industry they worked in.
The study reveals a stark reality: decent work remains a rare commodity in Côte d'Ivoire. Out of the thousands of graduates surveyed, only about 15.54 percent held jobs that met the criteria for decency, meaning they had contracts, social security, and salaries above the minimum wage. The vast majority were stuck in precarious situations without long-term security. When the researchers analyzed who managed to break into this small circle of decent employment, they found that higher education was a powerful key. Those with engineering degrees or advanced master's qualifications had a significantly better chance of finding quality work than those with lower-level diplomas. Interestingly, the study found that being slightly older did not help; in fact, younger graduates had a marginally better chance of securing decent work, though the overall probability remained low. The research also challenged a common belief about how people find jobs. Many assume that knowing the right people, or having strong social connections, is the best way to land a good position. However, the data showed the opposite: relying heavily on family and friends to find work actually reduced the chances of getting a decent job. The researchers suggest that these social networks often channel people into lower-quality, informal roles rather than opening doors to the formal, protected sector.
The most significant finding of the paper concerns the internship policy itself. The researchers used a careful statistical method to compare graduates who participated in the government internship program with those who did not, ensuring the two groups were similar in every other way. They discovered that the internship policy had a clear, positive effect. Graduates who completed the program were about 6.65 percent more likely to access decent employment than those who did not. This suggests that the internship acts as a valuable signal to employers, proving that a young person is serious, motivated, and capable of holding a job. It helps overcome the initial hesitation employers feel when hiring inexperienced workers. However, the study also noted that the type of sector matters greatly. Working in the public sector offered the best stability, while jobs in the private non-agricultural sector, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations were less likely to lead to decent employment conditions.
Ultimately, the research confirms that while the internship policy is a successful tool, it is only part of a larger puzzle. The program helps graduates take that first critical step, but the overall landscape of decent work in Côte d'Ivoire remains difficult to navigate. The authors conclude that the government should continue to invest in these policies, perhaps by working more closely with business groups to create more high-quality positions. They argue that internships are not just a temporary stopgap but a genuine mechanism for integrating young people into the economy, provided they are supported by broader efforts to improve job quality across all sectors. The study offers a measured hope: with the right support and experience, young graduates can move beyond precarious survival and into careers that offer security and dignity, but the path requires sustained public commitment and a shift in how the private sector views its role in the economy.
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