LUANDA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Angola recorded a decline in unemployment and modest job growth in the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest labor force survey released by the National Institute of Statistics on Thursday.
An estimated 12.81 million people aged 15 and above were employed during the period, representing a 1.8 percent increase from the previous quarter and an 8.9 percent rise year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the number of unemployed individuals dropped to 5.34 million, marking a 5.4 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2024. The national unemployment rate fell to 29.4 percent, down one percentage point from the previous quarter.
Despite these gains, informal employment remains dominant, accounting for 80.8 percent of the total workforce. The informal sector is particularly widespread in rural areas, where it reached 95.6 percent, compared to 68.4 percent in urban areas. Women were more likely to work informally, with 89.4 percent employed in the informal economy versus 71.9 percent of men.
Agriculture continues to be the backbone of Angola's labor market, employing 50.7 percent of workers in farming, livestock, hunting, forestry, and fishing. The wholesale and retail trade sector followed, absorbing 20.1 percent of the workforce. ■
