Agriculture tightened its grip as Rwanda’s largest employer in the first quarter of 2026, absorbing most of the modest job gains recorded over the past year, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).

The latest Labour Force Survey shows the employment-to-population ratio rose to 57.2 per cent in Q1 2026, up from 56 per cent in Q1 2025. This continues a steady climb from 53.1 per cent in Q1 2024, 47.7 per cent in Q1 2023, and 45.5 per cent in Q1 2022.

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Out of an estimated 8.7 million working-age population, about 5 million people were employed, while 615,000 were unemployed and 3.1 million remained outside the labour force.

Agriculture absorbs most new jobs

Agriculture accounted for the largest share of employment, taking in 44.4 per cent of the workforce, up from 43.7 per cent in the same quarter of 2025.

The increase suggests that much of the additional employment created over the past year was concentrated in agriculture, reinforcing the sector’s central role in livelihoods, particularly in rural areas where subsistence farming remains widespread.

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Limited growth outside farming

Beyond agriculture, job growth was subdued. The industry sector recorded a marginal increase to 14.6 per cent from 14.3 per cent a year earlier, while the services sector’s share declined by about one percentage point to 41 per cent.

This points to limited expansion in non-agricultural sectors, with agriculture continuing to carry the bulk of employment gains.

Modest gains, persistent gaps

Employment rose for both men and women, but disparities remain pronounced.

Men were more likely to be employed, with an employment rate of 64.4 per cent compared to 50.8 per cent for women, a gap of 13.6 percentage points.

Age-based differences were also evident. Adults aged 31 and above recorded an employment rate of 61 per cent, while youth aged 16–30 stood at 52.1 per cent, highlighting ongoing challenges in youth access to jobs.

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Despite the improvement in employment levels, the unemployment rate edged down only slightly to 11 per cent from 11.1 per cent a year earlier, indicating limited easing of labour market pressure.

Women and young people remained the most affected. Female unemployment stood at 12.8 per cent compared to 9.4 per cent for men, while youth unemployment reached 13.4 per cent, significantly higher than 9.4 per cent among adults.

At the same time, broader labour market strain intensified. The labour underutilisation rate rose to 55.9 per cent from 53.7 per cent a year earlier, meaning more than half of the working-age population is either unemployed, underemployed, or not fully engaged in the labour market.