Youth Unemployment and Entrepreneurship as a Career Choice Among Graduates in Taraba State

This study examines the relationship between graduate youth unemployment and the propensity to choose entrepreneurship as a career alternative in Taraba State, North East Nigeria. Taraba State faces acute graduate unemployment exacerbated by limited industrial development, restricted civil service capacity, and the displacement effects of farmer-herder conflicts, making it an important context for understanding the push and pull factors that direct graduates towards self-employment. The study employs a descriptive survey design, administering a career choice questionnaire and an entrepreneurial propensity scale to 240 graduates aged 22 to 35 who had been unemployed for at least six months, drawn from Jalingo, Wukari, and Bali Local Government Areas. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and regression were used to analyse the data. Findings indicate that the majority of respondents have considered entrepreneurship as a career alternative, but only 28 percent have taken concrete steps towards starting a business. The primary motivating factor for entrepreneurial consideration is necessity driven by unemployment duration rather than opportunity-based aspiration. Perceived inadequacy of startup capital, fear of business failure, lack of technical or business skills, and absence of mentorship are the most commonly cited constraints. Graduates with science and technology backgrounds show higher entrepreneurial self-efficacy but lower business development skill confidence than commerce graduates. The study argues that necessity entrepreneurship in Taraba requires structured governmental and institutional support to be economically productive. Recommendations include a Taraba State Graduate Enterprise Scheme that provides business incubation and seed funding for unemployed graduates. Keywords: youth unemployment, entrepreneurship, career choice, graduates, Taraba State.