The number of permanent jobs in companies operating in Cameroon increased by 2.5% in 2024, data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) showed. The trend supports a gradual reduction in unemployment but marks a clear slowdown compared with 2023, when the INS recorded job growth of 5.1%.
The increase was recorded across all three sectors of activity—primary, secondary, and tertiary—with stronger momentum in the primary sector. “This increase is observed across all three sectors of activity (primary, secondary, tertiary), particularly in the primary sector where employment rose by 5.7%. This performance is explained by faster investment in this strategic sector of the national economy,” the INS said. Authorities note that agriculture, within the primary sector, accounts for about 70% of the working population.
INS data show that permanent employment in companies has remained broadly resilient since 2021, despite periodic fluctuations. The main exception was 2022, when employment fell by 5.1%, a sharper decline than the 1.9% drop recorded in 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, which triggered a widespread slowdown in global economic activity.
BRM
