Rwanda's unemployment rate drops due to reopening of economy

KIGALI - The unemployment rate in Rwanda dropped to 16 percent in August, attributable to a further reopening of the economy from restrictive measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, official figures showed Wednesday.

The number of people in gainful employment rose from 3,199,104 in May to 3,667,611 in August, said a report from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda.

The economic sectors contributing to employment include construction, industry, real estates and restaurants, said the report.

From May to August, the construction sector grew by 43 percent, offering jobs to 173,368 new employees, while the industry sector created 133,428 new jobs, up 81 percent, according to the report.

Real estates and the service sector grew by 150 percent in the same period, providing 74,694 new jobs, it said.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate among women stood at 19.7 percent, compared with 13 percent among men, it added.

The unemployment rate of the central African nation rose to 22.1 percent in May from 13.1 percent in February before its first COVID-19 case was reported in March, according to official statistics.