‘Fabricated figures’ — NLC tackles NBS on unemployment rate report

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has challenged aspects of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report.

On Monday, the NBS said the country’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.3 percent in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, compared to the 5.3 percent recorded in Q1 2024.

The report also said the employment-to-population ratio, which measures the number of employed workers against the total working-age population, increased to 76.1 percent in Q2 2024.

According to Punch, Chris Onyeka, the national assistant general secretary of the NLC, criticised the report and described it as a “voodoo document” that fails to reflect the stark realities Nigerians face daily.

Onyeka said the figures are a “fabrication designed to mislead the public”, adding that the data was inconsistent with the deteriorating economic landscape.

“Unemployment cannot be coming down in Nigeria when factories are closing shops,” he said.

“It cannot be coming down when there is increasing inventory and reduced consumer spending. If anything, unemployment is increasing.”

He questioned the methodology behind the report, describing it as a “figment of imagination concocted by people who want to manipulate figures”.

He also challenged the NBS to substantiate its claims by identifying the sectors supposedly generating jobs.

“Once data does not reflect reality, it loses relevance. Unfortunately, the NBS has lost credibility as a result of the data they continue spewing out,” he said.

“Where are the jobs coming from? Is it from employers who are complaining of consumer resistance and slowing economic activities? It doesn’t add up.

“The truth remains: the NBS has become a failed institution, much like INEC in the eyes of the public.”