Youth unemployment rises amid growing labour market pressures
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday March 23, 2026 06:00
The latest findings from the Botswana Multi-Topic Household Survey (BMTHS) 2024-25 highlight persistent structural challenges in the country’s labour market, particularly affecting those aged between 15 and 35 years.
The report states that unemployed persons are persons who did not do some work in the reference period for payment either in cash or in kind, profit or family gain.
The unemployed people are those who have stated that they have been actively seeking work in the past seven days during the survey and are available to start work.
According to the survey, the youth unemployment rate increased from 25.1% in 2015-16 to 28.9% in 2024-25. The burden remains disproportionately higher amongst young females, whose unemployment rate stands at 30.7%, compared to 27.2% for young males.
Over the same period, the youth labour force grew by 8.3 percent, rising from 427,089 to 467,267, indicating a steady influx of young people into the labour market.
Despite this growth, job creation has not kept pace with the expanding labour force. This imbalance has contributed to a rise in overall unemployment, with the number of unemployed individuals increasing significantly from 147,206 in 2015-16 to 213,437 during 2024-25, which is an increase of 45%.
The survey also points to a concerning increase in discouraged job seekers. These are individuals who are available to work but have stopped actively seeking employment due to repeated unsuccessful attempts. This trend reflects growing disillusionment amongst job seekers and signals deeper issues within the labour market.
“These persons usually stop looking for work because they have given up as they had no success in finding a job, hence the term discouraged,” read the statement.
While the extended unemployment rate which includes both active job seekers and discouraged workers declined from 33.5% to 27.3% over the period, this improvement may partly reflect the withdrawal of individuals from active job searching rather than a genuine strengthening of employment opportunities.
At a national level, the overall unemployment rate amongst persons aged 15 years and above rose to 21% during this reporting period, up from 17.6% in 2015-16. This increase underscores the broader challenges facing Botswana’s economy in generating sufficient employment opportunities.
On a more positive note, the proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET) declined slightly from 39.9 percent to 37.1%, suggesting modest progress in engaging young people in productive activities.
The BMTHS 2024-25, conducted between November 2024 and November 2025, provides a nationally representative snapshot of labour market trends.
The survey utilised a larger sample size than previous rounds, enhancing the reliability and precision of its estimates. However, as a sample-based survey, the findings remain subject to sampling variability.
Population growth has further compounded labour market pressures.
Meanwhile, Botswana’s population increased by 14.2% from two million in 2015-16 to 2.3 million in 2024-25. This growth continues to intensify demand for employment opportunities.
Overall, the findings indicate that while Botswana’s labour market has expanded over the past decade, employment creation has not kept pace with labour force growth.
Youth unemployment remains elevated, posing a significant structural challenge. Addressing this issue will require sustained, employment-intensive economic growth and targeted labour market interventions to support inclusive and sustainable development.