The Angolan government announced on Thursday the creation of 109,563 formal jobs in the first half of this year, calling the result “encouraging,” though still unsatisfactory, according to the Secretary of State for Labour and Social Security.
Pedro Filipe, speaking at a press conference presenting the first semester results of the Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security (MAPTSS), stated that most formal jobs were created in the trade sector, followed by collective service activities, with positive indicators also in industry and construction.
According to the official, the unemployment rate remains concerning at around 29%, though showing a downward trend. Still, the current numbers are “not yet satisfactory.”
“We’ve been doing consistent and considerable work. The numbers are increasingly encouraging, but still fall short of what’s desirable,” he said.
The Secretary of State noted that the active working-age population is around 17 million people, “of whom nearly five million are still considered unemployed.”
“Twelve million people are employed, but only a little over three million have formal jobs (…). So, we have a little over nine million citizens who are working and earning an income, but they remain a concern because these are informal jobs,” he added.
The official acknowledged that this presents a major challenge, emphasizing that the government’s focus is fighting unemployment while also mobilizing and integrating the informal segment, which “is productive, important to the economy and to the country, but needs a push to move into the formal sector.”
“We are making progress; the numbers are encouraging, but we’re not yet satisfied. We can’t rest easy while 29% of the active workforce remains unemployed,” he stated.
April saw the highest number of jobs created, with 20,997, followed by February with 14,474, resulting in a monthly average of 17,722 jobs.
Luanda accounted for over 49% of the jobs created, followed by the provinces of Benguela, Cabinda, Huíla, Malanje, and Huambo, which were the top performers in terms of employability.
Thanks to improvements in employment centers—through modernization, increased visibility, and trust—citizen engagement and employer offerings grew, highlighted Pedro Filipe.
“This semester, there was significant activity in employment centers, with 35,445 job offers and 35,190 job seekers. This gives us a clear signal of the reorganization of these centers,” he said.
Pedro Filipe also mentioned that the National Employment Observatory is being prepared and is expected to start operations by the end of July.
As for vocational training, 112,610 people are currently enrolled in the national training system. Of these, 65,130 have completed training, 1,238 failed, and 3,785 dropped out—a figure considered worryingly high. 42,457 remain in training.
During the same period, 3,233 jobs were lost, mostly due to the sluggishness of businesses, especially small enterprises, and the country’s economic situation, he added.
National Director of Labour, Blanche Chendovava, explained that seasonal factors in some sectors have also contributed to job losses.
“There are activities—such as fishing and agriculture—that create more jobs at specific times of the year. However, the commerce sector also saw a slight drop in employment, likely due to **seasonality or a slight slowdown in macroeconomic indicators,” he noted.
Source: Lusa
