KIGALI, RWANDA - At least 424,000 Rwandans continue to live without jobs as the country gears up for International Labour Day come May 1.
This accounts for 8% of 5.3 million Rwandans in the active age population, the Minister of Public Service and Labour Anastase Murekezi said.
“This is a big problem following the global financial crisis," Murekezi told the press last week in the capital Kigali. “It is evident that unemployment has risen in the past five years and we are not certain whether it is stabilising.” Murekezi said Rwanda gains 140,000 new jobs annually accounting for33% of the needed jobs.
However, Rwanda's population continues to grow sharply at around 2.9% annually. This means that each year, an additional 290,000 Rwandans are born yet resources are still few. Currently, the population is about 11 million and is expected to hit 12 million by next year, according to government projections. At the same time, poverty levels remain high with over 50% of the population poor.
Like in most of the countries in the Sub Saharan Africa region, most Rwandans highly depend on the agricultural sector for employment. The sector employs 78% of the active population and generates more than a third of the country's economy. Currently, 93.8% of Rwanda's active population is employed in the informal sector with only 6.2% employed in the formal sector.
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I am always trying to foster good relationships with people who can help my cause.-Jimmy Choo
Thanks for this short and informative post.