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

Oct 4, 2021

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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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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