51.18m Nigerians Employed In 2011 – Report

[Shola Sholaz]

A total of 51.18 million Nigerians were employed in the economy in 2011, while 16.07 were unemployed, the National Planning Commission said in a report in Abuja on Thursday.
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The report is the 2011 Performance Monitoring Report on Government's Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
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The report stated that figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) clearly illustrated the deep challenges in Nigeria's labour market.
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"The NBS estimates that Nigeria's population grew by 3.2 per cent in 2011 from 159.3 million people in 2010 to 164.4 million in 2011, reflecting rapid population growth.
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"In 2011, Nigeria's unemployment rose to 23.9 per cent compared with 21.1 per cent in 2010," the report stated.
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"Unemployment was higher in rural areas at 25.6 per cent than in urban areas, where it was 17 per cent on average,'' the report added.