ICT Usage and Unemployment Rate Nexus in Nigeria : An Empirical Analysis

This paper empirically estimates the impact of ICT usage on unemployment rate in Nigeria from 1985-2015. Adopting a classical linear regression model with data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the results reveal that within the period under review, ICT had a significant positive impact on unemployment rate in Nigeria. The study therefore concludes that ICT innovations can help the Nigerian unemployment situation through different channels but the government and other policy makers must be pro-active in adopting useful policies and strategies that will enhance ICT penetration and usage in critical sectors of the economy. Apart from Telecom services, other elements of ICT infrastructure should be adopted and utilized in the economy in order to enhance productivity and reduce unemployment