Graduate unemployment, financial strain, and social marginalization in Pakistan: a qualitative study

Purpose This study explores how unemployment shapes the lived experiences of university graduates in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, with particular attention to its effects on social status, decision-making agency, life-course transitions, and family dynamics. The study seeks to understand how prolonged unemployment influences graduates' social positioning and everyday experiences within their families and communities. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a qualitative research design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 28 unemployed university graduates (16 males and 12 females) selected through purposive sampling. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key patterns and experiences associated with graduate unemployment. Findings The findings revealed that graduate unemployment in KP is not merely an economic problem but also undermines graduates' social recognition, family authority, and autonomy while delaying culturally expected life transitions. These experiences varied by gender, residence, and family expectations. Importantly, these effects extend beyond individual graduates, reshaping family relationships, responsibilities, and household livelihoods, demonstrating the interconnected social consequences of prolonged graduate unemployment. Originality/value This study makes four contributions to graduate unemployment research. First, it shows how educational credentials lose symbolic value when they cannot be converted into employment and economic contribution in KP, Pakistan. Second, it demonstrates how prolonged unemployment reshapes graduates' authority, decision-making power, and social recognition within family and community relationships. Third, it extends the life-course perspective by showing how a graduate's unemployment affects the interconnected livelihoods and future trajectories of other family members. Finally, it provides qualitative evidence from KP, an underrepresented context in international graduate unemployment research.