Jobs for a new generation: Rebuilding Nigeria’s labour market after COVID-19

Oct 4, 2021

People work at the makeshift workshop of Nigerian entrepreneur, Ukamaka Okoye, in the southeastern town of Nnewi, Anambra state, Nigeria.

Young people aged 15 to 29 need more employment opportunities in Nigeria. Image: REUTERS/Seun Sanni

Jonathan Lain

Economist, World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice

Christina Jenq

Assistant Professor of Practice in Economics, NYU Shanghai

Tara Vishwanath

Lead Economist and a Global Lead of the Global Solutions Group for Welfare Implications of Climate, Fragility, and Conflict Risks, The Poverty and Equity Global Practice of the World Bank

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Nigeria

this color-coded map shows how state-level unemployment is negatively correlated with state-level poverty

'Unemployment is not strongly linked to poverty in Nigeria.' Image: 2018 Q3 Nigerian labor force survey, 2018/19 Nigerian Living Standards Survey, and World Bank estimates.

this chart shows that most Nigerian workers are engaged in farm and non-farm enterprises

'Both farm and non-farm enterprise jobs are also characterized by relatively few hours worked.' Image: GHS and World Bank estimates

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this chart shows that workers turned to small-scale non-farm enterprise activities to cope with the COVID-19 crisis

'The COVID-19 crisis was marked by workers turning to small-scale non-farm enterprise activities in retail and trade.' Image: 2018/19 GHS, NLPS, and World Bank estimates.

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