Unemployment in Tuvalu

The 6.3% rate measures unemployment within the labour force, not everyone without current work. The 2022 Census counted 3,136 people in the labour force, including 2,937 employed and 199 unemployed people. A further 4,152 people were outside the labour force. This group can include people doing household work, studying, retired people and people with disabilities. The 2017 rate of 28.5% is not directly comparable because the definition changed. The 2022–23 Household Income and Expenditure Survey recorded a 5.0% unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 64, with little difference between men and women. Tuvalu has no directly evidenced formal unemployment insurance, unemployment registration requirement, ongoing jobseeker payment or central unemployment office. The Tuvalu National Provident Fund (TNPF) is a contributory provident fund, not an unemployment benefit. Its arrangements cover areas such as retirement, incapacity, death, emigration, housing and security, subject to the applicable rules. The Small Loan Scheme can provide financing but does not replace lost income. Senior citizen, disability and retirement support applies to specific groups rather than to unemployment generally. No general claim deadline, waiting period, benefit amount or payment duration has been established for unemployment in Tuvalu. Jobseekers can check vacancies published by the Public Service Commission (PSC), apply directly to employers and use local networks or an own- or family-run business. No national job-placement service has been evidenced. The National Labour Migration Policy links skills and employability with domestic and overseas labour markets. The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) pathway offers Tuvalu nationals a legal seasonal work option abroad, usually for seven or nine months within an eleven-month cycle, with return between seasons. It is a work-mobility pathway, not a local unemployment payment. Employment documents affect what follows a job loss. A service contract lasting more than three months should be written, signed by both parties and attested by the Secretary. Recruitment or private employment agents need written authorisation, and applicants may not be charged for the agency service. An employer needs a lawful reason to terminate employment. Capacity or conduct cases generally involve a warning and reasonable assistance to improve. Ordinary notice is at least one week unless the contract provides otherwise; redundancy requires at least four weeks' notice and no realistic redeployment option. Wages, benefits and accrued untaken annual leave are due no later than 14 days after termination, or wages in lieu can include benefits for the notice period. A workplace dispute normally starts with an attempt to settle it at the workplace. The Secretary or an appointed conciliator can provide information, exchange and conciliation, while a labour inspector can investigate, issue a demand notice or prosecute. A review request against a no-further-action decision generally has a 28-day period, and a court appeal also has a 28-day period. These labour procedures do not create an unemployment benefit. After re-employment, the new job requires a new contract, and employed people in Tuvalu fall within the applicable TNPF contribution arrangements.