From Youth Employment Preferences to Jobs Reality in Developing Countries

Accounts of well-being based on preference satisfaction or desire fulfilment say that people experience greater well-being to the extent that their preferences are satisfied or their desires are fulfilled. This chapter considers two aspects of subjective well-being in the sense of preference satisfaction that were discussed earlier: youth career aspirations and facets of job satisfaction. It then asks a simple question: How likely are these employment preferences to be satisfied given the reality of jobs in developing countries? The chapter starts by confronting youth employment preferences with realistic employment prospects. It then discusses the implications that a large gap in youth employment preference may have for public policy.