Mozambique: Unemployment increased 1.8% in Q4 over Q3 2024

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Mozambique: Unemployment increased 1.8% in Q4 over Q3 2024

7:54 CAT | 18 Mar 2025

File photo: Luciano da Conceição/DW

Unemployment in Mozambique increased by 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024, with 190,558 people registered as unemployed, compared to 187,149 in the third quarter, according to figures released on Monday by the government.

According to the Labour Market Information Bulletin from the ministry of labour, employment and social security, to which Lusa had access, employment centres in Mozambique registered a total of 91,215 people looking for their first job in the last quarter of 2024, with the rest looking for a new job.

“Unemployment recorded by region of the country shows a profile that puts the centre region with the most unemployed at 36.1%, the south with 33.4% and the north with the least unemployed at 30.5%. Looking by gender, according to the region of the country, the south has 38.1%, the centre 36.9% and the north 25.0% of female jobseekers,” the document states.

Government figures also indicate that 47.9% of those registered were looking for their first job, of which 22.9% were in Nampula province, followed by Tete, with 14 %, and Zambézia, with 11.5 %.

“With regard to new jobs registered, 17.5% were in Nampula, followed by Tete and Maputo with 14.1% and 13.4% respectively,” the document states.

The Mozambican government also announced that employment fell by 13.7% in the last quarter of 2024, with 103,834 new jobs registered, compared to 120,252 in the penultimate quarter of last year.

According to the bulletin, the centre of the country registered the most jobs, with 43.6%, followed by the north with 30.8% and the south with 25.6%, of the total jobs registered, with the provinces of Nampula (51.2%), Sofala (40.9%) and Gaza (39.6%) having the highest percentages.

“Of the jobs registered, 33.3% were for women,” the document states.

The same source indicates that the hiring of foreign labour increased by 2.1% in the last quarter of the year compared to the penultimate, with at least 5,426, compared to 5,316 in the third quarter of 2024.

“In terms of hiring foreign labour by sector of activity, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorbikes, recorded the highest number of foreign workers, accounting for 43.8% of the total, followed by construction and mining with 14.8% and 11.5%, respectively,” the document adds.

The bulletin also states that at least 22 illegal foreign workers were suspended in the last quarter of the year, a 29.4% increase on the third quarter, which saw 17 cases.

Maputo city registered the highest number of cases, with 11, followed by Sofala with six, Manica with three and Maputo province with two.

“Of the suspended workers, 63.6% are from commerce, restaurants and hotels, followed by construction and public works and manufacturing with 22.7% and 13.7%, respectively,” the document explains.

Source: Lusa