Labor market in South Sudan

Agriculture provides the main livelihood for most households. Available estimates place its share at about 60% to 70.5% of employment or household income, depending on the definition and source; these figures are not a harmonized national labour-force measurement. Rural work includes farming, livestock keeping and subsistence production. Urban work often combines household businesses, market trading, casual work and personal services with agriculture. Services are more prominent in Juba and other towns, while Yambio and Rumbek remain more agriculture-oriented and Aweil and Wau have stronger trade and service activity. These urban comparisons are based on older and limited town data and should not be treated as current state-level rankings. The formal economy includes public administration, aid and non-governmental organizations, trade and services, and the oil sector. Oil is technologically advanced and central to exports and public finances, but it creates relatively few direct local jobs. Industry remains small. Most workers operate as self-employed people, in household businesses, markets or occasional jobs. Permanent formal employment represents only a small share of urban work. Conflict, oil-export disruptions, fiscal crisis, inflation, unpaid public salaries, displacement, flooding, dangerous roads and limited credit can reduce employment or push households back toward farming and casual work. Programmes such as the South Sudan Safety Net Project created temporary income opportunities for 65,045 households between 2020 and 2023, with women representing 52% of participants. The workforce is young; a vocational training policy estimates that about 72% of the workforce is under 30. Low literacy and a shortage of practical skills limit access to better-paid work. Technical and vocational education and training, commonly shortened to TVET, is still embryonic, fragmented and underfunded. Vocational training centres, public and private providers, and informal workplaces offer different pathways, with unequal regional and financial access. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority registers providers, while the National Technical Education Board is intended to examine and certify skills. Relevant training areas include agriculture, vehicle mechanics, catering and hospitality, construction, hairdressing, solar photovoltaic work, tailoring and garment making, and life skills. Policy development focuses on competency-based training, workplace learning, certification, recognition of skills and better links to employer demand. The Labour Act 2017 provides for Employment Exchanges under the competent authority and places oversight with the Office of the Labour Commissioner. Jobseekers and people changing jobs are generally expected to register; registration is free, the certificate should be issued within three days and remains valid for up to one year. Employers generally nominate workers through an Employment Exchange, although they may select a qualified worker independently after 14 working days. Current nationwide use and effectiveness are not well documented, so personal networks and informal contacts remain central to job matching. A private employment agency requires a licence from the Labour Commissioner, normally valid for up to two years, and should be subject to registration and monitoring. The National Bureau of Statistics and the International Labour Organization are preparing the first national Labour Force and Migration Survey for 2025/26. A Juba pre-test took place in December 2025 and January 2026, with planned national, rural-urban and state-level coverage. A Labour Market Information System is also intended to support planning and matching, but current national employment and wage series remain incomplete. The Ministry of General Education and Instruction, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority, the National Technical Education Board, vocational training centres, the Labour Advisory Council, the Employers' Association of South Sudan and the South Sudan Workers' Trade Union Federation each contribute to parts of the labour-market system. The Labour Advisory Council recommends minimum-wage levels using basic needs, general wage levels, living costs and productivity, with review envisaged at least every two years. No current nationwide minimum-wage amount or verified publication was available in the research, and inflation can quickly reduce the value of nominal wages. Public-sector salary arrears are a significant concern, while reliable sector-by-sector wage comparisons are unavailable. The Labour Act generally covers employers and workers but excludes the army, organized forces, national security personnel, judges, diplomatic service and constitutional office holders. Certain activities, including vending, hawking, driving, office support and manual work, are reserved nationally in the available legal framework, although implementation is not reliably measured. Foreign workers need a work permit. South Sudan is both a country of origin and destination for labour migration. People seeking outbound work register nationally with the Labour Commissioner. The first National Labour Migration Policy and Action Plan was validated in 2025, but political endorsement and implementation were not yet established in the available research. Its priorities include better migration data, fair recruitment, supervision of private agencies, recognition of skills, regular migration routes, worker protection, social protection and productive use of diaspora and remittance benefits. Employment prospects therefore differ sharply by location, sector, skills, legal status and access to networks, and national averages should not be used as a reliable wage or job guarantee.