Labor market in Angola

The Portuguese term for the labor market is labor market (mercado de trabalho). The official employment survey (IEA), conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)), counted 10,171,244 employed people aged 15 and over in the second quarter of 2026, 6.4 percent more than in the first quarter. At the same time, 2,790,821 people were unemployed; the unemployment rate rose by 7.6 percent to 21.5 percent. The employment rate was 48.2 percent in cities and 35.6 percent in rural areas. Men reached 47.0 percent, women 41.6 percent, and young people aged 15 to 24 reached 21.9 percent. The unemployment rate was 19.8 percent among men, 23.3 percent among women, and 40.5 percent among young people. The new methodological series begins in the fourth quarter of 2025, so older figures are not directly comparable. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the survey recorded 8,876,650 employed people. Of these, 6,973,261 worked informally, or 78.6 percent. The informal share was 75.7 percent in cities and 93.2 percent in rural areas, 69.5 percent among men, and 88.7 percent among women. Among people aged 15 to 24, it reached 94.1 percent. Time-related underemployment was 4.7 percent, while total labor underutilization was 46.9 percent. Informal work usually means that a contract and legal, tax, commercial, and social protection are absent. By economic sector, 33.3 percent of employment was in wholesale and retail trade and repairs, 16.8 percent in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 6.2 percent in transport and storage, 6.0 percent in public administration and defense, 5.7 percent in construction, and 4.8 percent in manufacturing. By occupational profile, sales and services dominated with 41.9 percent, followed by skilled work in agriculture, forestry, and fishing with 15.9 percent, and crafts and related trades with 11.8 percent. In 2025, 65.6 percent of the population lived in urban areas. The IEA publishes national and provincial figures as well as urban-rural comparisons. However, jobs mandatorily registered with Social Security (Segurança Social) represent only a proxy for formal employment and do not cover the entire labor market: in the first half of 2025, 109,563 gross and 106,330 net entries were recorded. Luanda accounted for 53 percent, Benguela for 7 percent, Huíla for 5 percent, and Cuanza Sul for 4 percent; Bié, Cuando Cubango, and Lunda Norte each accounted for approximately 1 percent. The new provincial structure is not yet fully comparable with older classifications in INSS data. The National Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (Instituto Nacional de Emprego e Formação Profissional (INEFOP)) provides course catalogs, expressions of interest in courses, course calendars, and participation records. The National Qualifications Institute (Instituto Nacional de Qualificações (INQ)) provides a national qualifications system; the IEA currently does not publish a current, reliable ranking by educational qualification. The nationwide AYEOP program targets people aged 16 to 35 who are unemployed, inactive, or in low-productivity employment. It combines market-oriented training, skills certification, internships, job placement, mentoring, digital work, and entrepreneurship, and aims to reach approximately 500,000 participants, including along the Lobito Corridor. The National Minimum Wage (Salário Mínimo Nacional) is generally 100,000 Kz per month from September 16, 2025. A general amount of 50,000 Kz per month applies to micro-enterprises and start-ups; a collective agreement may provide for a higher amount. A temporary payment below this level is permitted only with official authorization. The average monthly earnings of 90,678.80 Kz reported for 2021 come from ILOSTAT and do not describe the current average across the entire Angolan labor market. INEFOP job placement is accessible through a citizen account. Registration requires a name, date of birth, national identity card (Bilhete de Identidade (BI)), mobile phone number, and a selection for employment (emprego) or internship (estágio). In the first half of 2025, INEFOP reported 65,080 job applications, 35,901 vacancies, and 35,737 placements; 76 percent of placed applicants were men and 24 percent were women. In addition, in August 2026 126 private placement agencies and 182 companies supplying workers were recorded. INEFOP supervises these providers, but many reports are incomplete. No official information is available on registration fees, processing times, or a placement guarantee. The Labor Law (Lei 12/23) covers formal contracts in public, private, mixed, cooperative, social, and international organizations. Inclusion in the INSS system of Mandatory Social Protection (Protecção Social Obrigatória) and supervision by the labor inspectorate IGT distinguish formal work from informal activities. Real economic growth was 4.4 percent in 2024, driven mainly by the recovery of the oil economy as well as mining, trade, and agriculture. Growth of approximately 2.9 percent is expected for 2025 to 2027; however, new job creation remains weak and occurs predominantly informally. Diversification, skills development, digitalization, and the Lobito Corridor are considered key levers. In 2024, approximately 676,500 international migrants lived in Angola, around 1.8 percent of the population. Net emigration of 3,524 people was estimated for 2025. The legal framework includes Article 25 of the Constitution (Constituição), Lei 13/19, Decreto Presidencial 163/20, Lei 12/23, and Decreto Presidencial 49/25 for non-resident foreign workers. This employment concerns professional, technical, or scientific qualifications and takes place for a limited period. A national labor migration policy had not yet been completed in 2025; Angola and the International Organization for Migration (OIM) launched a policy project on this issue. No current, reliable figures on foreign workers by migration status and gender are available.