CHAMWE KAIRA
Agriculture, forestry and fishing remained the largest source of employment for Namibia’s marginalised communities in 2023, employing 41.9% of the workforce, according to data from the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
The census shows that of the 9 673 employed people from marginalised communities, 4 057 worked in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.
The industry is heavily dominated by men, with 54.3% of employed males working in the sector compared with 18.1% of employed females.
The second-largest employer was household activities as employers and undifferentiated goods-and services-producing activities for own use, accounting for 15.1% of employment.
This sector was largely dominated by women, with 30.2% of employed females working in household-related activities compared with 7.3% of employed males.
Administrative and support service activities accounted for 9% of employment, followed by manufacturing at 6.6% and wholesale and retail trade, including the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, at 5.2%.
The census also found that women were more strongly represented than men in several service industries.
Accommodation and food service activities employed 7.4% of women compared with 1.5% of men, while education accounted for 5.3% of female employment against 1.6% for males.
Women also recorded higher participation in human health and social work activities (3.2% versus 0.9%), public administration and defence (4.2% versus 2.6%), and other service activities (5.1% versus 2.2%).
Men, meanwhile, had higher representation in construction, where 3.9% of employed males worked compared with 0.4% of females.
Male participation was also higher in transportation and storage (1.4% versus 0.3%), mining and quarrying (1.3% versus 0.5%), and manufacturing (7.6% versus 4.7%).
Employment in industries such as electricity, gas and air conditioning supply, water and waste management, information and communication, financial services, real estate, professional and technical activities, arts and recreation, and extraterritorial organisations accounted for relatively small shares of employment among marginalised communities.
“This report highlights key findings from an initial analysis of the 2023 census data, concentrating on the Marginalized Communities at urban, rural, and regional levels. The results are essential for guiding the Government, development partners, civil society organizations, and the public on aspects such as the community’s population size, distribution, and demographic composition among other factors,” said Alex Shimuafeni, statistician general and chief executive officer.
