Urban unemployment and migrants in Africa: Evidence from Harare 1985-1994

Unemployment is a major problem in urban centres in sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of policies associated with structural adjustment programmes has frequently meant major formal job losses in both the public and private sectors. Although it is widely recognized that there has been a major (further) shift into the informal sector, it is also often claimed that 'unemployment' rates have greatly increased. When it is also assumed that net rural-urban migration has continued at a rapid pace, this is believed to be a significant contributor to the rise in unemployment. However, because 'unemployment' and 'under-employment' are hard to measure and to keep discrete when studying urban Africa, it is apparent that there is much confusion over current levels and trends in unemployment. This article discusses the problems of analysing African urban unemployment, drawing in particular on a recent ILO report, and presents evidence from long-term research on migrants in Harare which casts doubt on the extent to which net in-migration is a major factor contributing to unemployment in contemporary, economically adjusting sub-Saharan Africa.