The final Employment and Unemployment Survey 2023–2024 released yesterday by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics shows that iTaukei make up the largest share of Fiji’s working-age population and workforce, while also recording the highest unemployment rate among the country’s major ethnic groups.
Data from the survey indicates that Fiji’s working-age population totals 614,831 people, with iTaukei accounting for 374,904 (61 percent), Indo-Fijians 217,865 (35 percent) and other ethnic groups 22,062 (4 percent).
Out of this population, 314,898 people were in the labour force, resulting in a labour force participation rate of 51.2 percent.
Both iTaukei and Indo-Fijians recorded similar labour force participation rates of 51.4 percent, while participation among other ethnic groups was lower at 45.9 percent.
In terms of employment, 296,825 people were employed, with iTaukei accounting for 180,422 workers (61 percent), Indo-Fijians 106,845 (36 percent) and others 9,557 (3 percent).
The survey recorded 18,073 unemployed persons, placing Fiji’s national unemployment rate at 5.7 percent.
However, unemployment was highest among iTaukei at 6.5 percent, compared with 4.5 percent for Indo-Fijians and 5.6 percent for other ethnic groups.
The report also found that 299,933 people were outside the labour force, including 102,100 individuals engaged in subsistence food production, highlighting the continued importance of informal and non-market economic activities in Fiji.
By age structure, youth aged 15–24 years made up 122,784 people (20 percent) of the working-age population under the International Labour Organization classification, while adults aged 25–64 years accounted for 427,805 people (70 percent).
