Page 44 - IJPS-5-1

International Journal of Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Internal youth migration in

Uganda: Analyzing associates and

employment outcomes

Sandra Mirembe *,Abel Nzabona , John A. Mushomi 2

1,2
2
1 Center for Population and Applied Statistics, Makerere University, Uganda,
2 Department of Population Studies, Makerere University, Uganda

Abstract: Youth internal migration is seen as a solution to youth unemployment, and this has
resulted in over urbanization and its associated negative effects such as congestion, pollution,
unemployment, underemployment, and increased crime rates. The study aimed at examining the
employment status of youth migrants, assessing the relationship between demographic factors
and youth internal migration, investigating the association between socio-economic factors
and youth internal migration, and evaluating the association between reasons for migration and
ARTICLE INFO migrant employment status. The study used secondary data collected in the youth employment
and migration in Eastern and Southern Africa project. In Uganda, the project was carried out in
Received: January 20, 2019 nine districts. The study focused on both men and women aged 18-35 years and a total number
Accepted: August 23, 2019 of 1524 respondents were interviewed. Results of the study revealed that age, residence,
Published: September 6, 2019
and region had a significant association with migration status (p≤0.05). Age, sex, number of
*CORRESPONDING AUTHOR children, region, and reasons for migration had a significant association with self-employment
status of the migrant (p<0.05). Marital status, sex, and reasons for migration had an association
Sandra Mirembe, with the possibility of a migrant youth being employed (p≤0.05). The study recommends that
Master of Arts in Demography,
Researcher, Centre for local governments should provide the required infrastructures, social services, and amenities
population and applied Statistics to encourage youths to carry out economic activities so as to develop their places of origin.
(CPAS), Makerere University,
Uganda. Keywords: Employment status; Migration associates; Social networks; Uganda;
mirembesannie@gmail.com Youth internal migration
CITATION
1. Introduction
Mirembe S, Nzabona A,
Mushomi JA (2019) Internal Youth is all young person’s female and male aged between 18 and 35 years (The
youth migration in Uganda: Government of Uganda, 1995). The study used Uganda’s definition of youth. Youth is
Analyzing associates and
employment outcomes. a stage of human development during which young people make the transition from
International Journal of childhood to adulthood and from dependence to independence and interdependence. This
Population Studies, 5(1):38-49. transition (social, economic, and biological) is fundamental to safeguarding, shaping,
doi: 10.18063/ijps.v5i1.969 further developing, and deploying their human and social capital. It is during this period
Copyright: © 2019 Mirembe S, that youth make important decisions about their lives particularly their ethical, social,
Nzabona A, Mushomi JA. This economic, cultural, political, and civic positioning and role – setting the stage for adulthood
is an Open Access article (United Nations, 2014).
distributed under the terms On the other hand, migration is the movement of a person or group of persons from one
of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 geographical unit to another across an administrative or political border wishing to settle
International License (http:// definitely or temporarily in a place other than their place of origin (United Nations, 2003).
creativecommons.org/licenses/ Migration comprises internal and international migration. Internal migration is movement
by-nc/4.0/), permitting all within the same country, from one administrative unit, such as a region, province or
noncommercial use, distribution, municipality to another. Internal migration is usually in the form of Rural Urban Migration
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is (RUM) or Urban to Urban migration. In contrast, international migration involves the
properly cited. crossing of one or several international borders resulting in a change in the legal status

38 International Journal of Population Studies | 2019, Volume 5, Issue 1