Rwanda's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 13.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, but the number of people facing some form of labour market challenge increased, according to the latest Labour Force Survey by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). ALSO READ: New study highlights stubborn youth informality despite employment gains Despite the stable national unemployment rate, disparities remained across population groups. Women recorded a higher unemployment rate at 15.5 per cent, compared with 11.6 per cent among men. Youth unemployment stood at 15.7 per cent, against 11.9 per cent among adults, while urban unemployment was slightly higher at 14.1 per cent, compared with 13.1 per cent in rural areas. The survey also showed that 928,426 young people aged 16 to 30, representing 24.9 per cent of that age group, were not in employment, education or training. The rate was higher among young women at 31.1 per cent, compared with 18.7 per cent among young men. By residence, the share of youth not in employment, education or training stood at 26.9 per cent in rural areas and 21.0 per cent in urban areas. The share of the working-age population outside the labour force remained stable at 37.9 per cent, equivalent to about 3.3 million people. The group includes subsistence farmers, students, older people, people with disabilities, and discouraged job seekers. Labour underutilisation Labour underutilisation, which includes people without jobs, those working fewer hours than they would like, and those who are available for work but are not actively searching for jobs, increased across different groups. ALSO READ: What’s shaping Rwanda’s labour trends? Women recorded the highest rise in labour underutilisation. Among women, the rate climbed to 66.1 per cent from 64.3 per cent, while among men it increased to 52.9 per cent from 49.5 per cent. By area of residence, labour underutilisation stood at 66 per cent in rural areas, up from 63.4 per cent, while urban areas recorded 45.5 per cent, compared with 42.9 per cent a year earlier. ALSO READ: Farming leads Rwanda's modest job growth in Q1 Youth and older workers also experienced increases in labour underutilisation. The rate among young people aged 16 to 30 rose to 59.1 per cent from 57.2 per cent, while it increased to 59.1 per cent among adults aged 31 to 54 from 56.7 per cent. Among people aged 55 and above, it reached 62.1 per cent, up from 58.3 per cent. Employment The labour force participation rate generally stood at 62.1 per cent, while the employment-to-population ratio (EPR) remained constant to 53.8 per cent in May 2026, compared to May 2025. The stability was observed across both males and females. The EPR remained higher among males (61.8 per cent) than females (46.6 per cent). The gender gap in the employment-to-population ratio was 15.2 percentage points in the same period. Additionally, the EPR was higher among adults aged 31 years and above (56.9 per cent) than among youth aged 16-30 years (49.6 per cent). Agriculture, forestry and fishing remained the largest source of employment, accounting for 39.1 per cent of all employed people, up from 38.0 per cent a year earlier. Wholesale and retail trade followed with 14.3 per cent, while construction and transportation and storage accounted for 8.9 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively.
