Namibia has second highest unemployment rate

JEMIMA BEUKES WINDHOEKNamibia has been ranked as the country with the second highest unemployment rate, at 33.4%, on a global list of 82 countries scrutinised by Bloomberg.Neighbouring South Africa has the highest unemployment rate on that list, as its joblessness rate increased to 34.4% in the second quarter of 2021 from 32.6% in the first.According to the report, at 33.4%, Namibia’s unemployment rate is the same as that of Nigeria, just slightly lower than that of South Africa.The fourth highest rate is that of Jordan, followed by Costa Rica, Tunisia, Greece, Spain, Brazil and Columbia.“While the unemployment rate is now the highest of the countries tracked by Bloomberg, the data from some of those nations is outdated,” the report stated.It added that strict lockdowns because of the third wave of Covid-19 weighed heavily on economic activity and, as such, economies suffered some of the biggest contractions in the century, forcing businesses to cut wages, reduce staff or shut down altogether.Covid-19 has affected all spheres of the economy, and its impact was worst felt in the last financial year when the economy shrunk by 8%. This is by far the worst shrinkage experienced in the last 31 years.Namibia’s economy grew by -6.5% in real terms in the first three months of 2021, according to data released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) in June, while in the corresponding quarter in 2020, overall economic growth in real terms was -2.5%.The sectors hit worst in the past quarter were the construction industry, which stood at-23.9%, manufacturing at -22.3% and mining and quarrying at -19%.WorrisomeGeneral secretary of the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU), Justina Jonas yesterday said the unemployment situation in the country is worrisome.According to her, the industry has stagnated, although dismissals have declined in the last few months.“However, no new projects are coming out and even last year, we had workers who were laid off because government had cut its budget because of the Covid-19 pandemic. When Covid hit, the sector was not in a good space because it was just recovering from the 2016 economic downturn,” she said.She added that there are currently no sustainable jobs and workers are only taken on for casual work.“There are no secure jobs where people can make something out for themselves for a year. It is really just an informal job that people get these days,” she said. jemima@namibiansun.com

Namibia has second highest unemployment rate

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-25

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Namibia has second highest unemployment rate

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-25

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