Abia, FCT, Rivers top Nigeria’s unemployment ranking – NBS

National Bureau of Statistics bulding

Abia State, the Federal Capital Territory, and Rivers State recorded the highest unemployment rates in Nigeria for 2023, the latest Nigeria Labour Force Survey Q1 2024 report by the National Bureau of Statistics stated.

The report stated that Abia State leads the chart with an unemployment rate of 18.7 per cent, followed closely by the FCT with 14.1 per cent, and Rivers with 13.4 per cent.

The NBS survey revealed that approximately 362,000 individuals were unemployed in Abia State, despite significant numbers being engaged in informal and self-employment sectors.

According to the report, Abia’s workforce includes over 1.25 million self-employed people, while 1.51 million are in informal employment, reflecting a heavy reliance on these sectors as formal job opportunities remain scarce.

In the FCT, unemployment affected 150,000 people in 2023, with 258,000 in waged employment.

A larger portion of the capital’s workforce is self-employed or engaged in informal activities, with 690,000 and 724,000 people in these categories, respectively.

Rivers State, known for its vital role in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, recorded 408,000 unemployed individuals.

The state’s informal employment sector was particularly prominent, with 2.24 million people engaged in informal jobs, while 704,000 were in waged employment.

According to the report, “The proportion of persons in self-employment declined from 86 per cent in Q1 2023 to 84 per cent in Q1 2024. Survey findings reveal an increase in the share of employed persons primarily engaged as employees between Q1 2024 (16.0 per cent) and Q3 2023 (12.7 per cent). The self-employment rate among females was 87.9 per cent while males was 79.9 per cent.”

The report also noted that rural areas in Nigeria continue to face significant challenges, with an unemployment rate of 6.8 per cent, compared to 3.5 per cent in urban centres.

This disparity reflects the economic struggles in rural communities, where job creation and access to formal employment opportunities remain limited.

In terms of gender, the NBS data showed that unemployment among women was higher at 6.0 per cent compared to 4.7 per cent among men, indicating a persistent gender gap in the labour market.

Nigeria’s working-age population reached 116.6 million in 2023, accounting for 53.8 per cent of the total population. Of this, females made up a larger share at 52 per cent, while males accounted for 48 per cent.