Sustainable futures at risk among long-term unemployed youth in Hosanna City, Ethiopia

Long-term youth unemployment poses a profound risk to sustainable futures in rapidly urbanizing Ethiopian cities. While existing studies have largely focused on unemployment rates, statistical trends, and structural drivers, comparatively less attention has been paid to how prolonged joblessness reshapes young people’s lived realities and constrains their capacity to contribute to socially sustainable development, particularly in medium-sized urban contexts. Addressing this gap, this study explores the lived experiences of long-term unemployed youth in Hosanna City, where limited economic diversification and weak industrial infrastructure intersect with rising youth out-migration. Using a phenomenological design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 participants and analyzed the data through Colaizzi’s method. The findings reveal that prolonged unemployment extends far beyond income deprivation. It disrupts transitions to adulthood, erodes aspirations, weakens social cohesion, deepens dependency, and fuels political disillusionment and risky migration. These interconnected processes collectively place sustainable youth futures at risk by undermining agency, dignity, social inclusion, and urban resilience. We argue that long-term youth unemployment is not merely a labor-market concern but a structural social sustainability challenge in economically undiversified cities. Addressing it requires integrated strategies that combine livelihood and enterprise development with psychosocial support, meaningful youth participation in local governance, and targeted investment in industrial parks, agro-processing, and digital skills programs to enhance employability and future prospects.