Employment promotion

Although Tanzania has undergone structural changes and several economic reforms have been initiated, the most labour-intensive sectors – agriculture, tourism and infrastructure - have not fully benefitted from these reforms.

The Tanzanian labour market has significant challenges. The majority of Tanzanians who enter the labour market each year are employed in the agriculture and the informal sectors where productivity and remunerations are low owing to limited education and skills, inadequate infrastructure investment and lack of access to farm inputs, extension services, credit, modern technology application, trade and marketing support.

Approximately, 36 percent of the people employed live below the nationally defined poverty line, an indication of low productivity and a lack of decent work. According to the Integrated Labour force survey (2014), the agriculture sector employs nearly 66% of the workforce in Tanzania, followed by Informal sector, 23%.

Most of these workers are not covered by formal social security schemes and trade union representation. Moreover, women are also generally paid lower than men.
Breaking the cycle of poverty involves full employment and decent work. This has been a major thrust of the ILO approach. Evidence shows that decent and productive jobs, sustainable enterprises and economic transformation play a key role in reducing poverty.

Taking into consideration its mandate and expertise, the ILO Country Office Dar es Salaam’s strategy is to focus on four key areas including employment policies, labour market information, skills development, sustainable enterprises and youth employment all of which are expected to address the missing link between growth and poverty reduction.