Unemployment in Zambia

ZamStats and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security measure unemployment through the Labour Force Survey, not through benefit registration. A person is counted as unemployed when they have no work, actively seek employment or a business opportunity, and are available to work or start a business. Active search can include applying to employers, answering advertisements, registering with an employment centre or private agency, attending interviews, asking relatives or friends, visiting factories or worksites, street recruitment, or seeking finance, land, equipment or permits for a business. In 2024, Zambia's unemployment rate was 12.9%. The rate was 11.8% for men and 14.6% for women, 13.9% in urban areas and 11.6% in rural areas. Young people aged 15 to 24 had a rate of 29.1%, while the rate for people aged 19 to 34 was 18.4%. The survey counted 352,076 people as long-term unemployed, meaning they had been without work and searching for at least one year; this represented 59.9% of unemployed people. When the potential labour force is added to the unemployed population, the combined measure reached 40.6%, including 47.1% for women and 50.4% in rural areas. Urban areas contained 61.6% of all unemployed people. Youth, women, urban job seekers and people in Lusaka and the Copperbelt therefore have particularly high practical relevance in employment support planning. The Department of Labour provides public exchange and employment exchange services for skilled and unskilled job seekers. Career counselling and guidance, provincial and district Labour Offices, ZELMIS and ZamPortal support access to information, placement or case handling. People can also apply directly to companies, answer advertisements and job-portal listings, use personal networks, visit worksites, contact a licensed private employment agency, or pursue self-employment and a business start-up. Zambia has no identified nationwide duty to register as unemployed or report job searches, and public placement does not create an automatic entitlement to a job. Private recruitment agencies require a licence from the Labour Commissioner, and unlicensed recruitment is prohibited. Public information is not fully consistent about fees: a Department of Labour page states that prospective employees should not be charged a service fee, while a 2023 Ministry of Labour and Social Security FAQ describes a registration fee of up to 500 fee units and a 50% refund when no placement occurs within three months. Check the current licence, permit and fee schedule before paying an agency, and request a receipt and written terms. The National Pension Scheme Authority, known as NAPSA, does not pay an unemployment benefit when a job ends. Its formal benefits include retirement, pre-retirement lump sums, invalidity, survivors' and funeral benefits. A pre-retirement lump sum can be 20% of contributions paid once after at least 60 months of contributions when the claimant is at least 45 years old; this is not an unemployment payment. Informal-sector coverage through the Extended Coverage Insurance Scheme includes retirement, invalidity, survivors', maternity, weather-index insurance and funeral benefits, but job loss alone does not create a NAPSA claim. The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services provides Social Cash Transfer assistance for households meeting poverty and vulnerability criteria. The listed transfer is K800 every two months, or K1,200 every two months for a household with an eligible person with a disability. The programme covers all 116 districts and prioritises extremely poor or labour-constrained households, including households affected by older age, disability, chronic illness, or orphaned and vulnerable children. Unemployment alone is not enough, and the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme is aimed at the poorest and most vulnerable people who lack inherent work capacity rather than general able-bodied joblessness. Emergency Cash Transfer support for COVID-19-related income and job loss was temporary and is not a standing unemployment entitlement. A job ending can also create rights under the Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019. Notice or payment in place of notice is generally 24 hours for a contract lasting no more than one month, 14 days for a contract lasting more than one month but no more than three months, and 30 days for a contract lasting more than three months. The notice must be written when the contract lasts more than six months. Redundancy can arise from business closure or intended closure, reduced work requirements, or an unconsented adverse change to service conditions. The employer generally gives at least 30 days' notice, consults the employee or representative, and pays at least two months of basic pay for each year served. The payment is normally due on the last day of duty; if it is not paid, full wages continue until the redundancy package is paid. Contract classification and statutory exclusions affect cases involving casual, temporary, long-term, probationary and fixed-duration arrangements. Where applicable, a fixed-duration contract has a minimum severance payment of 25% of basic pay earned during the contract. Preserve the employment contract, payslips, NAPSA statement, termination or redundancy notice, accrued-leave records and other benefit evidence. An unresolved dispute can move from an internal grievance or dialogue to a provincial or district Labour Office or authorised officer for mediation and settlement, and then to court where necessary. Complaints can be made in person, by phone, email or letter. ZELMIS also supports case tracking and online resolution according to 2025 Ministry information. The Department of Labour has not identified a standard public complaint fee or processing time.