Unemployment and National Development Nexus: An Empirical Investigation of Nigeria

Akaninyene Billy Orok (University of Calabar)
Benedict Alexander (University of Calabar)
Josephine Edem Nsoja (University of Calabar)
AfomaJesus Marvelous Orok (University of Calabar)
Delight Sampson Matthew (University of Calabar)

Pinisi Journal of Social Science
Vol 5, No 1 (2026): May

This study examined the impact of unemployment on economic development in Nigeria. The estimated model assessed the influence of the unemployment rate (U-Rate) and the underemployment rate (U-Emp) on Real Per Capita Income (RPCI) in Nigeria. Data were drawn mainly from secondary sources, namely CBN annual reports and statements of account, the CBN Statistical Bulletin, and the Federal Office of Statistics (FOS) annual abstract of statistics, supplemented by journals, textbooks, and other economic reviews. Adopting the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression technique, the study found a negative relationship between the unemployment rate and economic development in Nigeria. The study recommends that government develop capacity-building programmes for entrepreneurship that will raise income levels for the unemployed population.