About 76.6 million Nigerians, representing 86% of the country’s 88.9 million-person labour force, had no post-secondary education.
The figure was contained in the annual Nigeria Labour Force Survey released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), highlighting the wide gap in educational attainment among people participating in Nigeria’s labour market.
Only about 12.3 million people, or 14% of the labour force, had obtained post-secondary education. The figures point to the limited reach of higher education and advanced skills training among Nigerian workers, an issue that could affect productivity, earnings and the country’s ability to compete in a changing global economy.
Secondary Education Accounts for the Largest Share
The 76.6 million people without post-secondary qualifications consisted of Nigerians with no formal education, primary education and secondary education.
Those with secondary education formed the largest group, numbering 29.2 million. Their labour force participation rate stood at 77.7%, while the employment rate was 72.5%. However, the group recorded an unemployment rate of 6.7%.
The figures suggest that completing secondary education does not automatically translate into strong employment prospects, with many workers still facing a gap between their available skills and the demands of the labour market.
Another 23.1 million people in the labour force had primary education. Their labour force participation rate was 65.6%, while the employment rate stood at 62.9%. The unemployment rate for this category was 4.1%.
Millions Enter the Workforce Without Formal Education
The survey also showed that 24.3 million people in the labour force had no formal education.
Despite having no formal educational qualification, 79% of this group were employed, while the unemployment rate was 3.2%.
A large proportion of these workers are likely to be concentrated in informal and low-skilled activities such as agriculture, trading and other occupations where formal qualifications are not always required. While such work provides income for millions of Nigerians, it can also come with lower wages and limited opportunities for career progression.
Higher Education Comes With Higher Labour Force Participation
Nigerians with post-secondary education recorded the highest labour force participation rate among the major educational categories.
The survey put the number of people in this group at 11.7 million, with a participation rate of 87.9%. However, unemployment remained relatively high at 9.4%.
The figures highlight a major challenge within Nigeria’s labour market: obtaining higher education does not necessarily guarantee immediate access to employment.
At the postgraduate level, however, the situation was different. About 606,020 people had postgraduate education, recording an employment rate of 87.3% and the lowest unemployment rate among the education categories at 3.8%.
The stronger employment outcome among postgraduates indicates the value employers may place on advanced and specialised qualifications, particularly in professional fields requiring higher levels of expertise.
Informal Employment Remains Dominant
The education figures come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s highly informal labour market.
The 2023 labour force data showed that 92.7% of employed Nigerians were engaged in informal work. In the first quarter of 2024, 84% of Nigeria’s working population was also reported to be self-employed, down from 87.3% in the third quarter of 2023.
The combination of low educational attainment, widespread self-employment and high informal employment remains a major feature of Nigeria’s labour market.
Another concern is the number of workers who remain poor despite having jobs. About 34.3% of Nigerian workers aged 15 and above were identified as working poor, with low-skilled and low-paid jobs contributing to the difficulty many households face in escaping poverty.
Youths Face Another Employment Challenge
The labour market situation is also reflected among younger Nigerians.
In the first quarter of 2024, 14.4% of Nigerians aged 15 to 24 were classified as NEET, meaning they were not in education, employment or training. The figure increased from 13.7% in the third quarter of 2023.
The rising number of young people outside education, employment and training adds another layer to Nigeria’s skills and employment challenge, particularly as the country continues to depend on a large and growing working-age population.
With the vast majority of workers lacking post-secondary qualifications, improving access to higher education, technical training and relevant job skills remains important for creating a more productive and competitive workforce.
