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Paper short abstract:

Drawing on long-term fieldwork on public transport in Dar es Salaam, this paper explores the structural causes of the dramatic employment situation faced by the Tanzanian urban youth, and the politics and constraints underpinning the strategies of young workers to navigate under and unemployment.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on long-term fieldwork on informal public transport in Dar es Salaam, this paper explores the structural drivers of the dramatic employment situation faced by the Tanzanian urban youth.

The paper will analyse how work in the infamous daladalas, the private buses which provide the cheapest form of public transport in Dar es Salaam, constitute a key source of precarious employment for thousands of young people. The presentation will also explore the way in which the oversupply of unskilled workers affects the relationship between bus owners and workers. Finally, the presentation will discuss the politics, at both macro and micro level, and the constraints underpinning the strategies of young workers to navigate un- and under-employment.