Zambia’s unemployment rate fell to 9.9 percent in 2025 from 12.9 percent in 2024, while the employment-to-population ratio increased to 37.1 percent, according to the latest labour market survey.
The findings were released during the official dissemination of the 2025 Labour Force Survey and Employment and Earnings Inquiry by the Zambia Statistics Agency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, in Lusaka on Friday.
The survey estimates that 4.76 million Zambians were employed in 2025, out of a working-age population of 12.82 million people aged 15 years and above. The labour force stood at 5.28 million, with 523,751 people unemployed.
Labour force participation increased to 41.2 percent in 2025 from 38.0 percent in 2024, indicating a greater share of the working-age population was either employed or seeking work.
“The Labour Force Survey and the Employment and Earnings Inquiry provide critical information on employment, unemployment, earnings and working conditions, to help Government and other stakeholders identify emerging opportunities and challenges on the labour market,” Statistician General Sheila Mudenda said.
Youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 stood at 23.9 percent, more than twice the national rate, while unemployment among the nationally defined youth population aged 19 to 35 was 14.2 percent.
“The findings also show the importance of ensuring that economic growth translates into productive employment and better livelihoods, particularly for young people, women and persons with disabilities,” Mudenda said.
The survey estimates that about 2.09 million young people aged 15 to 24 were not in employment, education or training, while 3.02 million people were in informal employment, representing 63.4 percent of total employment.
“With millions of young people not engaged in employment, education or training, there’s need to enhance the transition from education and vocational training into employment,” she said.
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Mudenda said the dominance of informal employment underscored the need to promote formal jobs to improve income security, access to social security and productivity.
Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary, Zechariah Luhanga, said the labour market information would help the Government align investment, skills development and workforce preparation with the needs of the economy.
“For the Grow Zambia Agenda, we must assess how investment and production translate into productive employment and better livelihoods. These reports should help us identify sectors and groups requiring attention, and provide benchmarks for monitoring progress,” Luhanga said.
He said workforce preparation needed to begin alongside investment planning because skills development takes time and must respond to the competencies employers require.
Luhanga added that the findings should inform the Critical Skills List, apprenticeships and other work-based learning programmes through collaboration with the Ministry of Technology and Science, TEVETA, the Skills Advisory Committee and sector skills bodies.
Average monthly earnings for paid workers stood at K7,025 in 2025, with male workers earning K7,180 compared with K6,685 for females.
Western Province recorded the highest unemployment rate at 20.6 percent, while Lusaka had the lowest at 5.4 percent.
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