Employment Rate in Nigeria increased to 76.10 percent in the second quarter of 2024 from 73.20 percent in the first quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Nigeria Employment Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The services sector occupied around ** percent of the total employment in Nigeria as of 2023. This was the largest share that year, as the agriculture and industry sectors covered approximately ** percent and ** percent of the country's total employment, respectively.

Unemployment Rate in Nigeria decreased to 4.30 percent in the second quarter of 2024 from 5.30 percent in the first quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Nigeria Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Nigerian economy added 187,226 new jobs in the third quarter of 2016 after adding 475,180 a year earlier. The informal sector created 144,651 jobs, down 66.3 percent from last year but still accounting for 77.3 percent share. The public sector lost 7,012 jobs. The formal sector added 49,587 jobs, 19 percent more than a year earlier and representing 26.5 percent of total new jobs. Around 90 percent on new payrolls were created in human, health and social services sectors and agriculture and accommodation and food services. In the three months to June, the economy added 155,444 new jobs. This dataset provides - Nigeria Employment Change- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2023, while the employed male population in Nigeria was estimated at almost 40 million employees, female employees were projected to be slightly lower, at around 31.3 million. Total employment has generally increased since 2013. That year, male and female employees in the country amounted to approximately 27.6 million and 24.2 million, respectively.

Nigeria NG: Employment In Agriculture: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data was reported at 36.548 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 36.299 % for 2016. Nigeria NG: Employment In Agriculture: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 51.922 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.651 % in 2002 and a record low of 30.572 % in 2010. Nigeria NG: Employment In Agriculture: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Nigeria NG: Wage And Salaried Workers: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data was reported at 18.480 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 18.505 % for 2016. Nigeria NG: Wage And Salaried Workers: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 16.420 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.436 % in 2013 and a record low of 13.945 % in 2002. Nigeria NG: Wage And Salaried Workers: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as 'paid employment jobs,' where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

In 2024, the estimated youth unemployment rate in Nigeria was at almost 5.05 percent. According to the source, the data are estimates from the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations developing policies to set labor standards. Employment in Nigeria The youth unemployment rate refers to the percentage of the unemployed in the age group of 15 to 24 years as compared to the total labor force. Youth unemployment rates are often higher than overall unemployment rates, which is true in Nigeria as well: the general rate of unemployment was approximately six percent in 2018. One reason for this contrast is that many of the youth under age 24 are studying full-time and are unavailable for work due to this. Education in Nigeria Nigeria’s population has a large percentage of young inhabitants, and there is a high demand for educational opportunities for its young populace. After severe cuts in governmental aid following a nationwide recession in 2016, Nigeria’s underfunded higher education system became the focus of ongoing student protests and strikes. Other families have taken a different approach: Nigeria is the top country of origin for international students from the continent of Africa. For example, Nigeria sent over 12,600 students to the U.S. in 2017/18, the most of any African country.

Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 17.72 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employees, industry, female (% of female employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 84.73 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Self-employed; total (% of total employed) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 47.81 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employment in services (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Youth Unemployment Rate in Nigeria decreased to 6.50 percent in the second quarter of 2024 from 8.40 percent in the first quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Nigeria Youth Unemployment Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Abstract

The Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) is a statistical survey designed to collect comprehensive data on employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the population labour force. It provides quarterly estimates of the main labour force statistics with sufficient precision at the national level. This report contains findings from the Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) for the second quarter of 2024. The statistics are measured based on the labour force framework as guided by the international standard for labour market statistics for international comparability and the specific data requirements for the country.

The main objective of the NLFS is to collect basic statistics on the labour market situation in Nigeria and make labour statistics available to support government policies and programmes for effective planning, and for the private sector to support investment decision-making aimed at improving the employment situation in the country. The Labour Force Survey also serves as a tool for monitoring progress towards national goals and global commitments with an overarching goal of promotingthe welfare of the Nigerian population while ensuring the availability of labour market statistics to feed into the global sustainable development goals agenda. Labour is often one of the most important factors of production and is a major determinant of the economic system globally. Therefore, it is imperative to know whether people are working or not, how long they work, and the nature of the jobs they are engaged in.

The NLFS enables key labour market statistics and the employment situation to be monitored periodically in Nigeria. The indicators include the labour force participation rate, employment-to-population ratio, unemployment rate, time-related underemployment, self-employment, labour underutilisation, and other key job characteristics.

Geographic coverage

National Zone State Sector

Analysis unit

Individual

Universe

Household Members

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The target sample for the entire year is 35,520 households divided across 12 months, meaning the target sample for each quarter is 8,880 households. After small levels of non-response and replacement, the final sample for Q1 2024 is 8,836 households across the 36 states including the FCT.

Sampling deviation

No Deviations

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

A structured questionnaire was used for NLFS. A household questionnaire was administered in each household, which collected various information on Identification, Demographic Characteristics(inclusion of disability questions for 5 years or older), Education, Employed at work,Temporarily absence, Agricultural work and Market Orientation, Characteristics of main and secondary job, Unemployent and out of labour.Some of the questions were administered at household level while others were at individual level.

Cleaning operations

Real - Time data editing took place at different stages throughout the processing which includes: 1) Data editing and cleaning 2) Structure checking and completeness 3) Secondary editing 4) Structural checking of data files

Response rate

The household response rate is 100%.

Sampling error estimates

The margin of error of each quarter is 1% for national estimates.

Data appraisal

A series of data quality tables and graphs are available in the reports.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Nigeria (SLUEM1524ZSNGA) from 1991 to 2024 about Nigeria, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 18.64 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employers; total (% of employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Employers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 26.34 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employers; male (% of employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Nigeria NG: Employment In Industry: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data was reported at 11.642 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.839 % for 2016. Nigeria NG: Employment In Industry: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 8.895 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.146 % in 2010 and a record low of 8.013 % in 2002. Nigeria NG: Employment In Industry: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

In 2024, the unemployment rate in Nigeria amounted to 2.99 percent. Between 1991 and 2024, the figure dropped by 0.86 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Nigeria NG: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data was reported at 81.521 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 81.495 % for 2016. Nigeria NG: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 83.580 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.055 % in 2002 and a record low of 80.564 % in 2013. Nigeria NG: Self-Employed: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a 'self-employment jobs.' i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include four sub-categories of employers, own-account workers, members of producers' cooperatives, and contributing family workers.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Employment in services, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 39.65 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employees, services, male (% of male employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.