HARARE – Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate has increased from 19.7 reported in the second quarter of 2023 to 21 percent in the third quarter of the year, the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency reports.
In its quarterly labour force survey, Zimstat also revealed that unemployment in the third quarter was more in women, at 23.7 percent compared to men, at 19.0 percent.
By comparison, Harare and Bulawayo metropolitan provinces’ unemployment rate stands at 20.5 percent and 23.2 percent respectively.
The report puts the working age population in the third quarter of 2022 at 9,190,909 with those in employment totalling 3,913,966.
During the same period last year, according to the report, the country’s working population stood at 8,955,312 and of these, 3,950,618 were said to be in employment.
According to statistics, only 8 percent of the country’s working population earns more than US$333.
However, the definition of employment has been subject to debate in a country that has seen the majority and so-called unemployed eke out a decent living through often unregistered small business initiatives while a great many in the employment bracket struggle to live normal lives. – ZimLive
