Employment in Zimbabwe had increased to 59% in June 2022 from 51% in July 2020, as the country recovers from the pandemic, according to the results of a new survey by the World Bank and Zimbabwe's national statistics agency, ZIMSTAT. 

“Job market continued to show an improvement since reaching its lowest level in July 2020. Nationally, the share of people employed rose from 51% in the first round to 59% in the seventh round. About 34% of respondents did not have work or had not worked in the last month, the lowest rate since the onset of the pandemic,” the report said.

The World Bank and ZIMSTAT have been undertaking a high-frequency phone poll of households since June 2020, known as the Poverty, Income, Consumption and Expenditure Survey (PICES), to gauge the impact of the Covid crisis on Zimbabwe’s households.

Up to now, seven surveys have been carried out and the national statistics agency is currently reviewing eighth-round data in preparation to begin the ninth-round poll. 

The employment rate of male workers continued to increase from 56% in September 2020 to 66% in June this year, as per the findings from the seventh-round survey. Whilst in regard to female workers, the employment rate rose from 45% to 55% over the same timeframe.

“In round seven, 63% of the males were employed, compared to 53% for females,” the findings also showed.

According to the World Bank and ZIMSTAT’s report, having a job is defined as carrying out any sort of work in return for money, farming, operating any type of business or participating in other activities to generate income.

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