Nigeria’s unemployment rate rises to 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