The main determinants of unemployment in Afghanistan, and exploring the effects of insecurity and youth bulge in exacerbating the unemployment scenario

This study is carried out in an attempt to identify the primary reasons for unemployment in Afghanistan. In our quantitative data approach, we used the secondary dataset from the most recent nationally representative household survey, the IELFS 2020 survey. The influence of demographic characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, educational attainment and level of education, sector-wise employment, insecurity perception, and NEET were initially considered in the data. To determine the influence of insecurity and the youth bulge on Afghanistan's total labor market failure, we employed empirical formulae or logit regression models. According to the empirical findings, there is no statistically significant effect of in-security perception or conflicts on Afghanistan's high unemployment rate. Moreover, the Afghan labor market crisis is exacerbated by a prominent youth bulge and an army of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET). However, other control variables, such as gender, age, marital status, education, geography, and sector-specific employment, have a statistically significant impact on unemployment.