Around 600,000 new formal jobs have been created in Zimbabwe within several sectors from 2018 to date, a sign the formal economy is expanding in line with a boost to economic activity.

This is according to the latest data published by the country's National Social Security Authority (NSSA).

The data is in line with a report published recently by the lobby group the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI). The findings showed 51% of businesses that were polled had created jobs between January and September last year.

In 2022, 129,000 were classed as formal workers within various sectors, a significant increase compared to the previous two years when recruitment was battered by the pandemic.

Private sector-fuelled growth has been a priority for President Mnangagwa's administration within the industrialisation and modernisation agenda, Bulawayo 24 reports.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Zimbabwe's economy grew 8.5% in 2021, despite the Covid-related disruption and the war in Ukraine.

The most recent NSSA statistics also show that a minimum of 591,999 "decent jobs" were created between January 2018 and December 2022.

In 2018, 20,640 roles were created, peaking at 242,998 in 2019. The figure reduced to 78,409 in 2020 and rose to 121,145 in 2021. In 2022, 129,051 workers were registered as formal employees.

General manager of the National Social Security Authority, Dr Charles Shava said Zimbabwe's agricultural sector was the largest employer, The Sunday Mail reports.

 "This was followed by the retail and general business sector. The analysed data shows that there is a general increasing trend of new registrations throughout the review period," he stated.

In addition, president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, Kurai Matsheza said industries' increased capacity utilisation has made a considerable contribution to the upbeat jobs data.

"This is good for the economy as it means increased output, more fiscal revenue from increased output, increased employment numbers and increased economic activity. Over the years, capacity utilisation has been rising. By the end of the first quarter of 2022, it was sitting at 58%, which means more people were employed.

 "We are still working on the overall percentage of capacity utilisation for the year 2022, but the direction has been positive for the economy," he said.