Objective:

This research aims to analyze cultural dimensions related to college youth students employment and unemployment, in Cali, Colombia.

Method:

A cognitive anthropological study was conducted. Free listings and pile sort in order to identify the content and dimensions conditions, were used. Participated 80 college youth student (40 men and 40 women with an average age of 20,5 years), by purposeful sampling.

Results:

Employment as a work activity offers satisfaction, allows economic security and material benefits access. To have and employment, competences and personal values as well as having the opportunity to access it, are required. Also, to be employed implies effort to get development, stability, self-improvement and future. Lack of employment might generate frustration because of the difficulty in reaching goals as well as slavery perception due to excess work. Employment is considered as an activity that involves co-workers’ relationships, carried on companies and institutions. Unemployment is a waste of time that suggests poverty and needs, it is the result of social problems such as inequality, lack of opportunities because of the social system. Unemployment produces crime situations and impact on communities; in the personal area unemployment gives problems, needs, complications and negative emotions. For this reason, unemployment is a challenge that compromises family responsibilities, but no alternative of coping with it is specified.

Conclusions:

Youth’s participants agree about employment and unemployment concepts. This indicates cultural competence over the cultural domains of the concepts studied.

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