The determinants of youth labor market integration in Cameroon: is family Socioeconomic-background more effective than education?

Samuel Nouetagni, Université de Yaoundé II et Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Appliquées en Sciences Sociales (CERASS)
Mathias Kuepie, LISER and DIAL

The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of socioeconomic background and human capital on young people’s labor market integration. A review of the literature suggests that in addition to human capital, other factors not directly related to individual productivity play an important role in labor market integration. Our aim is to assess the impact of these factors, especially those concerning family background. The empirical work is based on a firsthand biographical database from a Cameroonian city. We use duration models to analyze these data and results show that young people from privileged background (measured by the father employment status and the living standards in the household of the origin) are more likely to swiftly enter the wage sector than their peers from disadvantaged background. This result is also due to the existence of a sort of privileged birth-related premium not induced by the formal education level.