The 2023–2024 Employment and Unemployment Survey found that Fiji’s workforce stands at 296,826, with urban areas accounting for 167,943 Fijians at work in urban areas and 128,883 working in rural areas.
Preliminary figures from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS) reveal a diverse occupational distribution split between urban and rural areas.
Fijians working in the services and sales sector lead with 53,470 individuals employed, with 36,966 in predominantly urban areas.
Skilled agricultural, fishery workers follow closely at 54,691 in this sector. Out of the 54,691, data collected shows 48,714 are working in rural Fiji. Professionals comprise 32,990 Fijians working while elementary occupations, craft and trade related workers each hover around low 30,000.
The data highlights urban employment is concentrated in services and professional roles while rural employment is in agriculture and fishery.
A further breakdown by the bureau reveals classification of Fiji’s work force into three categories with gender separations.
The formal sector leads with 194,733 individuals working, comprising 122,851 males and 71,882 females.
The informal sector follows at 97,654 working, with 71,953 males and 25,701 females. The household sector is smallest at 4438, dominated by females at 3,809 compared to 629 males.
