Transport and storage, construction and financial services were among the biggest drivers of non-agricultural employment growth in Rwanda between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026, as the government seeks to translate rising employment into more productive and better-paying jobs. Figures from the Labour Force Survey show that the number of employed people increased from about 4.58 million in May 2025 to 4.71 million in May 2026. The Minister of Public Service and Labour Judith Uwizeye told The New Times that transport and storage added about 46,000 workers over the period, while construction gained about 39,000. Financial and insurance activities added 13,000 workers, and administrative and support services gained about 12,000. The figures represent changes in the number of people employed in the respective sectors rather than the total number of new jobs created during the period. ALSO READ: Govt targets 500,000 jobs for out-of-school, unemployed youth Agriculture remained Rwanda’s largest employer, with about 1.84 million workers in May 2026. Construction employed about 417,000 people, followed by transport and storage with 354,000 and manufacturing with about 256,000. Fast-growing sectors signal changing skills demand While transport and construction registered some of the largest gains outside agriculture in absolute numbers, smaller service sectors recorded faster percentage growth. Employment in information and communication rose sharply, from about 12,000 to 19,000 workers, while financial and insurance activities grew by 32.4 per cent. Real estate employment increased by 35.2 per cent, from about 11,000 to 15,000 workers. Professional, scientific and technical activities added about 6,000 workers to reach 36,000, while other service activities gained about 18,000. Uwizeye said the shifts point to growing demand for specialised skills as Rwanda’s economy expands and diversifies. “Plant and machine operators and assemblers increased by about 33,000, or 21.5%, while clerical, managerial and technician occupations also expanded,” she said. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s fitness boom creates new jobs, business opportunities According to the minister, manufacturing, construction, transport, finance, information and communication technology (ICT), and other services are increasingly demanding technical, digital, managerial and professional skills. But employment growth alone does not necessarily indicate whether the jobs being added are formal, secure or well-paid — a distinction the government says will be central to its employment strategy. “The priority is to progressively move workers from low-productivity activities towards more productive, skilled and better-remunerated employment as investment, technology, skills and value addition expand,” Uwizeye said. Elementary occupations still account for roughly half of total employment, according to the minister, underscoring the challenge Rwanda faces in raising worker productivity and earnings even as employment expands. The push for 1.25 million decent jobs Under the Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), Rwanda aims to create 1.25 million productive and decent jobs between 2024 and 2029 — an average of about 250,000 jobs a year. Uwizeye said the Ministry of Public Service and Labour is focusing on strengthening labour standards and worker protection, aligning skills development with employers’ needs, improving coordination of job-creation initiatives, and tracking employment generated through public and private investment. ALSO READ: Top 10 sectors that contributed to 2024 job creation in Rwanda Internships, apprenticeships and workplace learning are among the measures being promoted to give young people practical skills that better match labour-market demand. The government sees agro-processing, manufacturing, construction, ICT and digital services, tourism and hospitality, logistics, and business and professional services as having particularly strong potential for employment creation. “Our ambition, however, is broader than simply reaching the number of 1.25 million jobs,” Uwizeye said. “We want the jobs created to contribute to Rwanda’s structural transformation.” That, she said, means increasing productivity, expanding formal employment and social protection coverage, and improving the quality and sustainability of work. Agriculture still dominates employment Despite growth in construction, transport and emerging service sectors, agriculture remains central to Rwanda’s labour market. The sector employed about 1.84 million people in May 2026, roughly 100,000 more than a year earlier, according to figures provided by the minister. Uwizeye said the increase shows that agriculture continues to absorb a significant number of workers, highlighting the need to accelerate non-farm job creation if Rwanda is to progressively reduce agriculture’s share of total employment. The government’s approach includes raising agricultural productivity while expanding opportunities in construction, transport and logistics, agro-processing, manufacturing and services. Skills development is another part of that transition, particularly through technical and vocational education and training. A tracer study cited by Uwizeye found that 68 per cent of technical secondary school graduates secured employment within six months. The challenge for Rwanda, therefore, is not only to increase the number of people in work, but to ensure that a growing share of them move into productive, skilled, formal and better-remunerated employment as the economy transforms.
