• Jobless rate drops 0.8 points year-on-year, steady quarter-on-quarter

• Youth and women see unemployment rise despite overall improvement

• Member states pursue national strategies to boost job creation

The unemployment rate across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) stood at 11.6% in the first quarter of 2025, down 0.8 percentage points year-on-year, according to the BCEAO's monetary policy report published on June 13. The figure remains unchanged from the previous quarter but reveals notable disparities by gender and age.

While male unemployment declined by 1 percentage point to 7.6%, the rate for women rose by 1.2 points to reach 15.8%. The BCEAO also reported rising joblessness among youth, based on surveys in major urban areas. The sharpest increase was observed in the 15–24 age group (+1.6 points), followed by the 25–34 segment (+1.2 points). In contrast, unemployment among adults aged 35–64 dropped by 0.8 percentage points quarter-on-quarter.

Though the report did not provide country-level breakdowns for Q1 2025, earlier data point to variation across member states. According to the World Bank, Benin recorded an unemployment rate of 2.4% in 2022, Côte d’Ivoire 2.3% in 2023, and Senegal 5.6% in the final quarter of 2024.

To address persistent labor market challenges, WAEMU countries have launched targeted initiatives. Senegal allocated CFA1,377 billion (around $2.1 billion) in its 2025 budget to education and vocational training to enhance youth employability. Côte d’Ivoire’s national employment strategy for 2021–2025 aims to generate 1.77 million jobs, while Benin has implemented the PSIE program, which links employers with qualified candidates to ease integration.

The BCEAO also reported that the employment rate—the share of the working-age population currently employed—stood at 53.7% in Q1 2025, slightly down from 53.8% the previous quarter.