Sub-Saharan Africa has highest rate of vulnerable employment – ILO

By bne IntelliNews January 22, 2014

Paid employment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa are scarce and the vulnerable employment rate remains the highest of all regions, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in the latest edition of its Global Employment Trends report. In 2013, its level stood at 77.4%, slightly falling from 77.4% in 2012.

ILO also noted that a large share of the working-age population in the region is obliged to work to provide a living to their families as they face underdeveloped or non-existent social protection systems. Thus, the labour force participation rate across all labour market groups is estimated at 70.8% in 2013, and Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in which the male adult labour force participation rate is projected to rise in 2014 and 2015.

According to ILO’s data, high rates of economic growth contributed to an improvement in some labour market indicators in the Sub-Saharan African countries. According to the latest edition of the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report, the region’s GDP growth stood at 4.7% in 2013.

ILO estimated that Sub-Saharan Africa’s unemployment rate will remain unchanged y/y in 2014 at 7.6% and will edge down to 7.5% in the next four years. The youth unemployment is estimated at 11.9% in 2013, unchanged from 2012. It is expected to slightly fall to 11.8% in 2014 and to 11.7% in the next four years.

Unemployment rates in Sub-Saharan Africa
  2013 2014f 2015f
Angola 8.4 8.3 8.2
Botswana 18.4 18.9 19.3
Ivory Coast 3.9 3.9 3.8
Ghana 4.5 4.8 5.0
Kenya 9.2 9.1 9.1
Nigeria 7.5 7.5 7.5
South Africa 25.3 25.2 25.1
Tanzania 3.5 3.4 3.4
Zambia 13.2 13.3 13.4
Zimbabwe 5.5 5.6 5.6
Source: ILO      
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