NIGERIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RISESTO 23.9% —NPC

The National Population Commission has
said that the rate of unemployment in
Nigeria rose from 21.1 per cent in 2010 to
23.9 per cent in 2011.
The NPC, in the latest report on its
website, said the nation’s economic
growth had not translated into job
creation.
It said, “Figures from the National
Bureau of Statistics clearly illustrated
the deep challenges in Nigeria’s labour
market, where the nation’s rapid
economic growth has not translated into
effective job creation.
“The NBS estimates that Nigeria’s
population grew by 3.2 per cent in 2011,
from 159.3 million people in 2010 to 164.4
million in 2011, reflecting rapid population
growth. In 2011, Nigeria’s unemployment
rose to 23.9 per cent compared with 21.1
per cent in 2010.”
It said the labour force swelled by 2.1
million to 67,256,090 people, with just
51,224,115 persons employed, leaving
16,074,205 people without work.
The NPC said the lack of sufficient jobs
resulted in additional 2.1 million
unemployed persons in 2011, up from 1.5
million unemployed people produced in
2010.
It added, “Unemployment was higher in
the rural areas, at 25.6 per cent, than in
the urban areas, where it was 17 per
cent on average. In the light of the
country’s fast – growing population,
efforts to create a conducive
environment for job creation must be
redoubled, if the trend of rising
unemployment is to be reversed.”
It said the Federal Ministry of Labour
and Productivity, in a bid to maintain
industrial peace and harmony, resolved
279 of the 328 labour complaints it
received in 2011, indicating an 85 per
cent rate of resolution of complaints.
It said, “The number of complaints
received increased compared with 2010
(263). However, the resolution rate of 85
per cent improved from 51 per cent in
2010.
“The FML&P also reported a decrease in
the percentage of man-hour lost to
strikes in 2011, and an increase in the
number of persons trained and equipped
under skill acquisition programs to
establish their own trade.”
The commission noted that the number
of jobs created in 2011 was reported as
209, 239 by the Federal Ministry of
Labour and productivity.