Youth Unemployment Rises to 8.1 Percent as Seychelles Labour Market Stays Stable
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles recorded a national unemployment rate of 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, a slight improvement from the previous quarter, but youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 years rose to 8.1 percent during the same period, representing a rate 3.2 times higher than the national average and placing the situation in what the National Bureau of Statistics describes as a “severe” category, according to the latest Labour Force Survey released by the bureau. The survey, covering the period from October to December 2025, found that 52,632 people were employed in Seychelles during the final quarter, of whom 27,016 were men and 25,616 were women.
The findings are significant for Seychellois policymakers and families because while the headline employment figures remain healthy by international standards, the persistent elevation of youth unemployment signals that young people entering the labour market face structural challenges that are not being resolved by overall economic growth alone. The 1,643 young people aged 15 to 24 who were neither in employment, education, nor training during the quarter represent a pool of talent that risks long-term marginalisation if targeted interventions are not implemented promptly.
Of the estimated unemployed population of 1,361 during the quarter, the number of unemployed youths stood at 380, compared to 436 the previous quarter, indicating some improvement but still a disproportionately high share, according to the Labour Force Survey. The national labour force involvement rate stood at 65.3 percent, meaning nearly two-thirds of working-age people were active in the labour market, while the employment-to-population ratio remained stable at 63.6 percent. Most workers, 70.7 percent of the labour force, were aged between 25 and 54 years, while youth aged 15 to 24 represented 8.7 percent of the labour force. Female youths accounted for 57.8 percent of those who were neither working nor in education or training, a figure unchanged from the previous quarter that points to a significant gender dimension within the youth employment challenge.
The survey found that 93 percent of workers were employed in the formal sector, while 5.7 percent worked in the informal sector and 1.2 percent were employed in household production activities. Service and sales workers made up the largest share of employment at 23.2 percent, including occupations such as shop sales assistants, security guards, and home-based care workers. The public administration and defence sector employed the highest share of workers at 19.2 percent, followed by accommodation and food service activities at 14.5 percent and wholesale and retail trade at 10.1 percent. Women represented a higher share of workers in both public administration and the accommodation and food services sector, reflecting the existing gender dynamics of the Seychellois workforce.
On the positive side, the survey found that nearly 70 percent of unemployed persons reported being without work for less than six months, suggesting that most jobseekers are able to re-enter the labour market relatively quickly. Long-term unemployment, defined as being out of work for more than 12 months, declined slightly to 13.4 percent. Applying directly to prospective employers remained the most common job search method among unemployed persons. Some 28,710 people were outside the labour force entirely, of whom women represented 59 percent and more than 60 percent were aged 55 years and above, with many reporting retirement as their reason for not participating in the labour market.
The Labour Force Survey has been conducted in Seychelles since 2014, and the next set of results covering the first quarter of 2026 is expected to be released at the end of June 2026, providing an early indication of how the Middle East crisis and its impact on tourism and employment may have affected the labour market in the opening months of the year.
