BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – When Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi announced on Monday that Eswatini’s unemployment rate had declined from 35.4 percent in 2023 to 33.5 percent in 2025, many citizens immediately took to social media to express doubt.
Some questioned where the jobs were. Others argued that unemployment remains too high for such statistics to be believable. A few even suggested that the figures had been manipulated to paint a rosy picture of the economy.
Such reactions are understandable. For a country that has battled unemployment for decades, many families still have children, siblings and relatives searching for work. However, while emotions and personal experiences are important, public debate must also be guided by facts.
The reality is that the figures announced by the minister are not based on political opinion. They are based on labour force surveys and statistical data collected across the country. More importantly, when one examines what has been happening in Eswatini over the past two years, there is substantial evidence showing that employment opportunities have indeed increased.
The unemployment rate has not disappeared. It remains high. But the claim that it has declined is supported by facts.
According to the latest Labour Market Information Report, the number of employed people increased from 260356 in 2023 to 271227 in 2025, representing nearly 11000 additional jobs. The number of unemployed people declined from 142553 to 136487 during the same period.
Government infrastructure programmes, community projects, income-generating initiatives, vocational development programmes and investment attraction efforts have all contributed to increased economic activity and employment opportunities.
Since 2023, Microprojects alone has delivered 31 water supply schemes, 33 footbridges, 23 low-level bridges, 21 concrete roads and almost 890 kilometres of bladed roads. These projects required engineers, artisans, labourers, transport operators, suppliers and contractors.
Government has also completed 878 education-related structures, including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, administration blocks and staff houses. Such projects create direct and indirect employment opportunities while improving the country’s productive capacity.
Community development projects have also expanded economic opportunities. A total of 46 community halls and three community markets have been constructed, creating platforms for local economic activity and entrepreneurship.
Through the Rural Development Fund, 84 income-generating projects have been supported with investments exceeding E265 million. These initiatives have improved household incomes and created sustainable livelihoods in communities across the country.
Additional investments in healthcare facilities, electricity schemes, veterinary infrastructure, factory shells, vocational centres and public institutions have further stimulated employment and economic growth.
Importantly, the labour force itself expanded between 2023 and 2025. This means more people entered the job market while employment still increased sufficiently to reduce unemployment. Such a trend indicates genuine job creation rather than statistical distortion.
Youth unemployment remains a challenge, but there has been measurable improvement. Unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24 declined from 56 percent to 52.2 percent, while more young people accessed employment, entrepreneurship and skills-development opportunities.
Critics are correct to point out that many emaSwati continue to struggle to find work. More than 136000 people remain unemployed. However, recognising this reality should not prevent the nation from acknowledging genuine progress where it exists.
The reduction in unemployment does not mean the problem has been solved. Rather, it demonstrates that the country’s interventions are beginning to yield measurable results.
The evidence shows that employment has increased, infrastructure investment has expanded, entrepreneurship support has grown and economic opportunities have widened. These developments are visible across communities throughout the Kingdom.
The challenge now is to accelerate this progress through continued investment attraction, industrialisation, skills development, support for entrepreneurs and expansion of productive sectors of the economy.
The figures announced by Minister Phila Buthelezi should therefore be viewed as evidence of meaningful progress rather than a declaration of victory. While much work remains, the data suggests that Eswatini is moving in the right direction.
For a country determined to create opportunities for its people, that progress deserves recognition.
