AFRICA EMPLOYMENT FORECAST: THEMATIC FUTURES

Africa faces a critical gap between rapid labour force growth and the creation of formal jobs. By 2043, the labour force is expected to almost double from its 2023 level of 576 million. While the services sector continues to dominate GDP, a 'Combined' scenario involving pro-growth policies could increase Africa's GDP to US$8.9 trillion by 2043, compared to US$6.4 trillion on the 'Current Path'.

• Africa's labour force is growing significantly faster than the demand for formal employment, with only 2.6 to 3 million formal jobs created annually, leading to a concentration of growth in the informal sector.
• The African labour force is projected to almost double by 2043 from its 2023 size of 576 million, with nearly 25% of all global labour force entrants coming from Africa by that date.
• Africa's labour force participation rate is higher than the global average, reaching 64.5% for the continent and 67.7% for sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, compared to a global average of 60.5%.
• Economic forecasts for 2043 show that a 'Combined' scenario with pro-growth policies would result in a GDP of US$8.9 trillion, a 39.5% increase over the 'Current Path' forecast of US$6.4 trillion.
• The African economy is shifting toward services; on the 'Current Path', the services sector's contribution to GDP is expected to rise from 53% in 2023 to 56.5% by 2043, while agriculture's share is forecast to drop from 14% to 7.6%.

APA

Cilliers, J., & Chipanda, B. (2026). AFRICA EMPLOYMENT FORECAST: THEMATIC FUTURES. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=13-work-jobs&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie, and Blessing Chipanda. AFRICA EMPLOYMENT FORECAST: THEMATIC FUTURES. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=13-work-jobs&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |last2=Chipanda |first2=Blessing |title=AFRICA EMPLOYMENT FORECAST: THEMATIC FUTURES |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=4 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=13-work-jobs&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliers2026africa, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie and Chipanda, Blessing}, title = {{AFRICA EMPLOYMENT FORECAST: THEMATIC FUTURES}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=13-work-jobs&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }