Africa’s 6.3% unemployment rate in 2025 captured only part of the continent’s labour-market conditions, according to a report that examined the quality and security of work alongside employment levels.
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The assessment said unemployment should be considered together with informal employment, working poverty and access to social protection. More than one-third of employed Africans were living in working poverty, defined in the report as having work while living below a poverty threshold of $2.15 a day.
Most workers across Africa were informally employed, while fewer than one in five people had social protection coverage, according to the report. Such benefits can include healthcare, pensions, unemployment support and maternity benefits.
Employment does not always mean economic security
The International Labour Organisation defines the employment rate as the share of the working-age population that worked for at least one hour for pay or profit during a reference period of one week or seven days.
That definition establishes whether someone worked, but not whether the work provides reliable earnings or protection against financial hardship. The report noted that people may turn to self-employment or activities in agriculture, trade, transport, construction and food services when formal jobs are not expanding quickly enough.
“Having a job does not necessarily mean earning enough to support a household, escaping poverty, or having protection when things go wrong,” the report said.
Informal work is not necessarily poorly paid, but its prevalence raises concerns about income security, productivity and access to benefits. The World Bank estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa needs to create around 15 million jobs each year to absorb its growing working-age population.
Wide differences between subregions
Informal employment accounted for 84.4% of employed people in Africa in 2025, the highest share recorded for any region, according to the report.
West Africa combined a low unemployment rate of 2.9% with an informal employment rate of 91.2% in 2025. Central Africa recorded unemployment of 6.8%, while informal employment reached 93.1%.
Conditions in Central Africa also included working poverty affecting 57.7% of employed people and social protection coverage of 7.8% of the population.
Southern Africa presented a different pattern. Its unemployment rate was 31.1% in 2025, substantially higher than in the other cited subregions. However, informal employment was lower at 40%, while working poverty stood at 15.3% and social protection coverage reached 59.1%.
Gender differences remain significant
The report also highlighted differences between women’s and men’s employment experiences. Women accounted for 88.6% of employed people in informal work in Africa in 2025, compared with 81.2% for men.
Africa was identified as the only region where more women than men were informally employed. Women were also more likely to experience working poverty and had lower social protection coverage, according to the report.
The OECD estimates that women in Africa spend around 4.1 times as much time as men on unpaid care and domestic work. The report said those responsibilities can reduce the time available for paid employment and limit the opportunities women are able to pursue.
As the continent’s working population grows, the report said policymakers should focus not only on the number of jobs created but also on job quality, productivity and social protection. Its broader objective is to support work that contributes to a more productive economy and more secure livelihoods.
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