Introduction

Benin is witnessing a growing number of university graduates. Yet securing a first job remains one of the greatest challenges facing young people. Many leave university with a bachelor’s or master’s degree, complete internships and develop valuable skills, only to encounter a recurring requirement in the job market: two to three years of professional experience. This paradox deserves closer examination.

How Can Young Graduates Gain Experience Without a First Job?

Thousands of young Beninese people face a simple question: how can employers demand experience from someone who has never had the opportunity to work? Entry-level candidates are expected to be experienced before they are even given the chance to gain experience. Internships, university projects, association activities and volunteering can demonstrate genuine skills, adaptability and motivation. However, these experiences are not always recognised as equivalent to formal professional experience.

Unemployment, Underemployment and Qualified Employment: Three Distinct Realities

It is important to distinguish between three different situations. Unemployment refers to the absence of paid work. Underemployment affects people working in precarious conditions or in fields unrelated to their qualifications. Qualified employment refers to a stable, decent job that matches an individual’s educational background. Someone may engage in a small income-generating activity and be considered employed while still seeking a job aligned with their training. These distinctions are essential to understanding the true scale of the problem.

Who Should Take Action?

Responsibility does not rest with a single stakeholder. The government must strengthen first-job programmes, apprenticeships and pathways connecting education with businesses. Universities must also align their training more closely with professional realities. Companies, in turn, need to reconsider certain recruitment requirements: systematically demanding several years of experience for junior positions can shut an entire generation out of the job market. Young graduates must also work to improve their employability. However, they cannot bear sole responsibility for a problem rooted in structural challenges.

Conclusion

The real challenge is not to reduce the number of graduates, but to create more effective pathways from education to experience and, ultimately, to sustainable employment. Educating young people without providing sufficient opportunities to secure their first jobs leads to frustration and wasted potential. The central question, therefore, is not whether Benin has too many graduates, but whether it has adequate mechanisms to turn them into skilled, experienced and productive workers. Only then can Benin’s youth fully contribute to the country’s development.

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