Jumoke Olasunkanmi
A recent report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed that about three-quarter, 76.7 percent of working-age Nigerians, were employed in the first quarter of 2023.
This reflects a 3.1 percent increase from the 73.6 percent figure reported in the 4th quarter of 2022.
The data is based on a sample of 35,520 households nationwide. It was collected throughout the year with results produced quarterly and at the end of the year, showed that third – 33.2 percent – of this figure were individuals, particularly women, young people, people living in rural areas and people with low levels of education who worked less than 40 hours a week.
The report published on the NBS website today also revealed that the underemployment rate, which is the category of employed people working less than 40 hours per week and are willing to work more, fell to 12.2 percent in the first quarter of 2023 from 13.7 percent in the last quarter of 2022.
The report also noted that 74.5 percent of Nigerians owned personal businesses or farming activities in the first quarter of 2023, a 2.3 percent increase from the last quarter of 2022.
10.6 percent of Nigerians were also shown to have engaged in volunteering without pay in a household business and 2.2 percent engaged as apprentices or interns.
NBS also explained that it has enhanced its method of data collection through the Nigerian Labour Force Survey (NLFS), in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines.
