Mozambique’s Q1 employment growth exceeds expectations amid robust economy

In the first quarter of the year, Mozambique reported the creation of nearly 63,000 jobs, surpassing initial expectations.

However, this only represents 16% of the government’s target for 2023, as per the official data reviewed.

The government had initially anticipated 58,822 job openings for this quarter but achieved 62,799 positions.

While this progress is commendable, it’s still below the expected trajectory for the year, with the government aiming for around 381,759 jobs by year-end.

Furthermore, projections for 2024 suggest a massive increase, with the potential creation of over 2.9 million jobs.

Comparatively, in 2022, Mozambique created 371,388 jobs, an increase from 288,981 in 2021 and 253,542 in 2020.

However, it was less than the 478,904 jobs in 2019, before the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent terrorist disturbances in the north.

Of the jobs created in the first quarter, the public sector contributed 2,046, and the private sector accounted for 41,613.

Additionally, efforts by the public sector led to conditions for another 6,914 jobs.

The country’s GDP grew by 4.67% in the second quarter, driven mainly by the primary sector.

This growth follows a 4.17% increase observed from January to March, leading to overall economic growth of 4.42% in the first half of the year, as reported by Mozambique’s National Statistics Institute.

According to government predictions, the Mozambican economy is projected to expand by 5% in 2023.

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