Trade leads 10 sectors on female employment in Nigeria

The Nigeria General Household Survey-Panel (Wave 5) 2023/2024 from NBS revealed that trade was the main sector of Nigerian female wage employment in 2024.

The survey “Tracking Nigerian Households to Understand Their Resilience Over Time” highlighted that 35.2 percent of male workers tend to concentrate more on agricultural activities while 38.5 percent of women focus more on trade.

“The two main wage employment sectors in Nigeria are agriculture and trade. However, in urban areas, the most common form of wage employment for both genders was trade, accounting for 20.3 percent of male workers and 47.0 percent of female workers,” the report said.

Zonal analysis in the report shows that agriculture was the most common activity for both males and females in North Central accounting for 61.0 percent of males and 43.3 percent of females; North East (32.4 percent and 31.5 percent), and South-South (41.0 percent and 42.1 percent).

The survey added that Trade was most common for both groups in the North West zone (30.1 percent and 41.4 percent). The sectoral pattern of activity in wage employment was different in the South West zone, with males predominantly involved in agriculture (37.7 percent) and females mostly engaged in trade (52.1 percent).

“Working males reported 26.3 hours of work activities during the post-planting visit, rising to 33.6 hours during the post-harvest visit. Working females showed a similar trend, reporting 21.6 and 30.9 hours of work in the two visits, respectively,” the report said.

Read also: Unemployment in Nigeria: Solutions

Analysis of individual sectors

Trade

The Trade sector ranks first among the ten sectors of wage employment in Nigeria, reflecting 38.5 percent of female employment and 18 percent of male employment. It is largely dominated by oil and gas exports as crude oil, petrol, and fuel are the main sources of export value in Nigeria. However, wholesale and retail trade are also relevant and promoted through international, inter-Africa, and intra-African commerce.

Agriculture

The Agriculture sector ranks second among the ten sectors of wage employment in Nigeria, reflecting 27 percent of female employment and 35.2 percent of male employment. It is a major contributor to the Nigerian economy and can be classified into crop production, fishing, livestock, and forestry.

Manufacturing

Nigeria’s manufacturing sector remains resilient among the top ten sectors of wage employment in Nigeria, accounting for 12.2 percent of female employment and 7.2 percent of male employment. Despite being the backbone for the production of essential goods and materials used in the nation, manufacturers struggle with rising production costs, foreign exchange crises, energy costs, and lower consumer patronage.

Transportation

The lifeline of Trade and Agriculture is transportation but it has only 0.1 percent of female employment and 11.6 percent of male employment. This sector enables the movement of goods between producers and consumers, regardless of geographical distance. However, the rising transportation cost due to the hike in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has been affecting businesses in Nigeria, leaving traders, farmers, and agropreneurs stranded.

Public Administration

The public administration sector deals with the execution and management of government policies in Nigeria. It accounted for 1.1 percent of female employment and 2.7 percent of male employment. The sector includes civil service, the police, armed forces, judicial services, and public enterprises.

Education

Nigeria’s Education sector has 4.6 percent of female employment and 3.2 percent of male employment. It comprises primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, school districts, and other educational districts. It has been fraught with several challenges like inadequate funding and infrastructure, insufficient teacher training, and non-implementation of relevant policies.

Construction

The construction industry is made up of residential construction for building homes, construction of commercial properties, and infrastructure construction of bridges, highways, or railways. It accounted for 0.2 percent of female employment and 6.6 percent of male employment.

Professional, Scientific and Technical

This sector comprises establishments that specialise in performing professional, scientific, and technical services for people which requires a high degree of expertise and training. It accounted for 3.2 percent of female employment and 6.6 of male employment.

Accommodation and food services

This sector accounted for 7.1 percent of female employment and 1.1 of male employment. It evolves around providing lodge and dining experiences to travelers, residents, and guests. It includes hotels, motels, restaurants, bars, and catering services that offer food, beverage, and accommodations.

Other sectors

Other sectors could be the healthcare, chemical industries, technology, mining, entertainment, real estate, fashion, finance, and even energy. It had about 6.1 percent of female employment and 8.3 percent of male employment.