Edo Unemployment Rate Falls From 25.1% To 19%, Obaseki Claims Achievement

The unemployment rate in Edo State has dropped from 25.1 per cent in the 3rd quarter of 2018 to 19 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, new data released from Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have shown.

The 6.1 per cent drop is attributed to the job creation drive of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, whose job creation agency, Edo State Skills Development Agency, (EdoJobs) is credited to have created over 170,000 jobs through innovative programmes in the last three and half years.

According to the NBS report, Edo State has the lowest unemployment figure in the South South region, bettering five other oil-rich states in the region.

“The unemployment rate among states in the South-south is as follows: Akwa-Ibom 45.2%; Bayelsa 27.8%; Cross River 31.6%; Delta 40.3%, Rivers State 43.7 and Edo 19%,” the report said.

The NBS reported that of the 1,985,765 labour force in Edo State, “916,871 people are fully employed and work for over 40 hours; 692,160 work for 20 to 39 hours; 143,026 work for 1-19 hours; 233,228 work for zero hours and 376,994 are unemployed.”

Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said the new figures validate the data provided by EdoJobs, which had been vetted by several independent research outfits.

He noted that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration is data-driven, which informs its policy thrusts and influences the outcomes of its reforms across different sectors of the state.

He said, “We are very elated by the latest data from the NBS as it validates the records published by EdoJobs. We are very modest about our achievements and let the data and impact do the talking. We undertook a holistic approach in resetting the economy, which is now evident for all to see. We are not resting on our oars.

“As we move closer to the 2020 election, Edo people must be reminded that Governor Obaseki has kept to his promise to create the enabling environment to create jobs and we would continue to expand the frontiers for more jobs to be created with the coming on stream of more industrial projects which would reinvigorate the state’s economy.”

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