Nigeria’s 8.2 per cent unemployment rate is higher than the combined percentage of unemployment in the neighbouring three West African countries – Benin, Cameroon and Niger.
The rate of unemployment in Benin is one per cent while those of Cameroon and Niger are 3.8 and 2.3 per cent respectively.
Ghana and Chad, also West African countries, are also better than Nigeria in terms of the percentage of their citizens that are not employed. Ghanaian unemployment rate, according to our online search, stands at 5.2 per cent while that of Chad is 7.8 per cent.
Going by data of the second quarter of 2015 posted by the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria, the country’s unemployment condition is, however, more pleasant than its key economic rival – South Africa.
The ex-apartheid nation is currently battling to bring down its 25 per cent unemployment rate. Its rate triples Nigeria’s 8.2 per cent.
Other key African countries that Nigeria is better than in terms of the level of unemployment are Angola, Tunisia and Kenya. Angola, despite its promising economy, faces 26 per cent unemployment rate as against Tunisia’s 15 per cent. At least, 40 per cent of Kenyans are also struggling to get jobs.
The situation of unemployment in several African countries is also worse than Nigeria’s situation. Faced with unemployment rate ranging from 15 per cent to above 45 per cent, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea are excruciating under the pains of unemployment.
Others countries in that category are Republic of Congo, Gambia, Sudan, Cape Verde, Zambia, Namibia, Swaziland, Congo and Mozambique.
Today, Djibouti sits on top of global unemployment table. Djibouti is followed by Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti and Kenya.
Tweeting on the country’s unemployment rate today, the Statistician General of the NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale, said youths between 15 and 34 years controlled 66 per cent of the country’s unemployment. The group, according to him, also contributed 65 per cent to the underemployed population.
According to data published by the NBS on today, the country’s unemployment rate increased from 7.5 per cent, it was in the first quarter of the year, to 8.2 per cent in the second quarter.
“The economically working age population (persons within ages 15-64) increased from 102.8 million in quarter one to 103.5million in quarter two. In quarter two, the labour force population, that is those within working age population who are willing, able and actively looking for work, increased to 74m from 73.4m in quarter one, representing an increase in the labour force by 0.81 per cent.
“This means 574,498 economically-active persons within 15‐64 years entered the labour force and were able, willing and actively looking for work between April 1 and June 30. Within the same period, the total number in full employment (those who did something for at least 40 hours a week) decreased by 1,317,700 or 2.37 per cent,” the NBS explained in the document.
It stated that a total of 19.6m people between the age of 15 and 65 were either unemployed or underemployed between April and June compared to 17.7m people the country had in the first quarter.
In terms of gender, the number of women that were either unemployed or underemployed increased from 9.6 per cent it stood in the first quarter to 21.6 per cent in the second quarter. For male, the figure increased from 6.9 per cent to 15.4 per cent.
“Underemployment continues to be more of a rural phenomenon (22.1 per cent rural underemployment compared to 7.4 per cent rural unemployment). This is because the nature of their jobs is largely seasonal. Unemployment is more of a concern in urban areas. The urban unemployment was 10.1 per cent compared to 7.4 per cent urban underemployment,” it said.
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