The government of Eswatini is shifting focus to ‘quality jobs that sustain households’ after the 2025 Labour Force Survey showed unemployment declining and more people entering employment, even as a new World Bank report warns that informality remains high globally.
The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, launched the survey’s key findings in June.
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Russell Dlamini reinforced the direction during the delivery of the Synopsis Performance Report, saying the government is moving beyond regular employment to work that delivers income security. 
The announcements come as a World Bank report released on Sunday states that 55 per cent of workers in Latin America and the Caribbean remain in the informal economy.
The Bank calls for countries to align skills development, enterprise growth and social protection to expand decent work.
According to the 2025 Labour Force Survey, the number of employed persons increased from 260 356 in 2023 to 271 227 in 2025. The employment-to-population ratio rose from 32.8 per cent to 33.5 per cent over the same period, while the working-age population grew from 793 614 to 809 194.
Buthelezi said the survey provides more than statistics. “It shows how far the government has come in building an economy that leaves no liSwati behind,” he said during the June launch.
He added that employment data allows government and economic actors to identify which sectors are creating jobs and which demographic groups are most impacted by unemployment.
In his Synopsis Performance Report delivered two weeks ago, Prime Minister Dlamini said the measure of success must now change. “We are trying to avail possible job opportunities, not just regular jobs but quality jobs that will sustain households,” he told members of the media during the briefing.
He said this will require tracking wages, contract terms and opportunities for advancement in addition to job numbers. That emphasis mirrors concerns raised in the World Bank report.
While Eswatini’s survey does not provide a breakdown on informality, the Bank’s findings suggest that simply increasing employment numbers is not enough if work remains precarious.
