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Magnitude of Employment And Unemployment

By newswatchngr.com 16/09/2011 04:49:00

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Overall unemployment rate was 19.7% of total Labour Force in March 2009, indicating a sharp increase from 14.9% in March 2008

Overall unemployment rate was 19.7% of total Labour Force in March 2009, indicating a sharp increase from 14.9% in March 2008, which when disaggregated by sector, gave 19.2% for Urban and 19.8% for the Rural

The decomposition of the composite unemployment rate by the level of education of the unemployed persons, showed that higher proportion of unemployment was recorded by secondary school leavers, thereby recording 23.8% and which was followed by those who are below primary with 22.3%. The lowest figure of 14.8% was recorded by those who had primary education. However, the decomposition by age group showed a pattern with rates decreasing with increasing age up to 59 years old and increased for persons aged 60-64 years implying that unemployment affected the younger and older age groups. Thus the age group 15-24 years had the highest rate of 41.6%, whereas the age group 45-59 years had only 11.5% and age group 65-64 had 16.7%.

Distribution Of The Unemployed Persons

The distribution of the unemployed persons in a sub- group is measured by the number of unemployed persons in that sub-group over the total unemployed persons in the overall group multiply by hundred.

Educational Level

The percentage of unemployed persons who were secondary school leavers amounted to 38.7%. The figure for the unemployed persons who had more than first degree recorded the lowest of 0.5%.

Age-Group

Of the total unemployed persons in this March, 2009 Survey, 32.0% were aged below 25 years, while 47.5% were aged 25-44 years and 20.5% were aged 45- 64 years.

Gender

Gender disaggregation showed that among the volume of unemployed persons, males were dominant with 51.9% while unemployed females showed 48.1%.

State Disaggregated Rates

States which recorded high composite unemployment rates, i.e. above 19.7%, which is the overall unemployment rate were Bayelsa (38.4%), Katsina (37.3%), Bauchi (37.2%), Akwa- Ibom (34.1%), Gombe (32.1%), Adamawa (29.4%), Borno (27.7%), Kano (27.6%), Yobe (27.3%), Taraba (26.8%), Jigawa(26.5%), FCT (21.5%) and Imo (20.8%) while Plateau recorded the lowest figure of 7.1%.

What this means is that other states recorded below 19.7%.

*Excerpts of a Labour Force Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics in March 2009.