Nearly Half of Nigerian Workers Hold Jobs Unrelated to Their Studies

KEY POINTS

• Nearly half of Nigerian workers have jobs outside their study field.
• Employers now focus on skills and adaptability over specific degrees.
• Hybrid roles are reshaping career paths with new skill demands.

According to the Nigerian Workplace Report 2024, about half of Nigerian workers have occupations unrelated to their subject of study. According to the data, 58.7% of polled employees stated that their work matched their educational background, while 41% indicated there was no connection between their current role and their academic specialty.

Survey reveals disconnect between Nigerian workers’ education and jobs

Businessday stated that over 2,600 workers from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, media, transportation and logistics, real estate, services, telecommunications, tourism, trade, education, energy, construction, healthcare, and agriculture, participated in the survey, which was carried out by Intelpoint in collaboration with Alt School, between December 2023 and March 2024.

The results imply that employers are placing a higher value on adaptability and a variety of talents than on certain educational backgrounds. According to Dolapo Femi-Oyekola, a senior associate in people development at Management Sciences for Health, “HR professionals take the attitude, culture fit, and skills into account when hiring.”

Particularly for non-technical professions, they now prioritize talent sustainability more than the plug-and-play strategy of the past.

The research identifies some important elements contributing to the discrepancy between an employee’s present employment and their subject of study. First, many people are pursuing jobs outside of their original fields of study due to the introduction of new industries and job titles brought about by an evolving labour market.

According to Dr Angela Roberts, a labour market analyst at the Institute for Employment Studies, this tendency is a reflection of how quickly the labour market is changing.

Professional development and hybrid roles drive workplace flexibility

According to Businessday, transferable abilities acquired through different educational programs—like communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking—can be used in a variety of professions, enabling people to move into positions that aren’t immediately related to their studies.

Career changes are also frequent; people frequently change occupations and look for positions unrelated to their original field due to personal interests, market opportunities, and life circumstances. “Career shifts are often driven by personal interests and evolving opportunities,” noted Career Pathways author and career advisor Sarah Williams.

Employees may be placed in highly sought-after positions even if they do not directly relate to their academic background since market demand and real-world experience can occasionally be more important than formal education. Furthermore, hybrid roles—which combine many skill sets—are becoming more prevalent and need people use their knowledge from a variety of fields.