September 2024

Garowe hosts an estimated 8,500 households with 55,675 individuals of internally displaced persons (IDPs). War, armed conflict, insecurity and droughts, floods, and other natural disasters forced many of these IDPs to leave their places of origin, mainly pastoral areas and rural villages, and move to major urban towns and cities such as Garowe. It is estimated that around 77 percent of IDPs live in extreme poverty conditions, 10 percentage points higher than their non-displaced counterparts. Life in urban settings poses real challenges to IDPs from pastoral and rural areas, as they find it difficult to adapt their livelihood, skills, and experiences to new unfamiliar environments. The majority of IDPs rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN and International NGOs for their livelihood. This study investigated the challenges faced by IDPs in Garowe city, Puntland State of Somalia, in improving their livelihood, particularly in gaining entry to and maintaining employment.  This study adopted a qualitative research design to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying dynamic and complex factors that affect the livelihood, skills, and employability of IDPs and the multilevel barriers that they face in accessing the Garowe city job market. Key informant interviews were conducted with IDPs, mainstream public service officials, representatives of the private sector, and experts on protracted displacement. Secondary data were reviewed and analyzed to synthesize existing knowledge about employment opportunities and the demand for skills in the city. The study identified recurring themes of high unemployment, skill gaps, limited access to social networks and employers, and inadequate information and knowledge about available jobs and services among IDPs. The findings show that these significant barriers to improving IDP’s livelihood are related to lack of access to all the jobs in the labor market due to their identity and status, disparities in education and skills, and lack of resources for skills training programs to empower IDPs to acquire or develop their social and economic capital. The unequivocal importance of education, skills, and social networks appears to have practical implications for IDPs’ labor market integration. The findings underscore the need for clear government policy priority and improved access to education for IDPs and targeted skill-building initiatives as essential strategies and interventions for integrating IDPs into the labor market, thus finding durable solutions for IDPs in this protracted displacement context.