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Youths Not in Employment, Education or Training [NEET]

Youths Not in Employment, Education or Training [NEET]

The 2023–2024 Employment and Unemployment Survey by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS) found that 23.7% of Fijian youths aged 15–24, or 29,056 out of 122,784, are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Youth unemployment stands at 18.3%.

The survey shows the 40–44 age group has the largest workforce with 43,975 workers, followed by ages 35–39 (43,363) and 30–34 (40,605), while 15–19 is the lowest with 6,526.

Fiji’s overall unemployment is 5.7%, labour force participation 51.2% (65.7% men, 36.2% women). The report highlights workforce trends, age gaps, and gender disparities.

Figure 2: Youth NEET and Unemployment

The proportion of young individuals (aged 15-24 years) who are not engaged in employment, education, or training (NEET rate) serves as an indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 8,
which aims to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

This measure offers valuable insights into the segment of youth lacking the skills necessary for their first employment opportunity and can be considered an important metric for target 4.4. Generally, the likelihood of youth being classified as NEET is associated with lower levels of educational attainment and limited information-processing skills, such as deficiencies in literacy and numeracy.