Employment in Infrastructure Construction

The labour market in Angola is by and large characterized by high urban unemployment rate, including disguised unemployment of those who have given up looking for jobs, high levels of informality in labour relations, underemployment in rural areas where unemployment is not an option
for the poorest. Although the main reason for labour market characteristics is the limited formal labour demand for better paid workers, there is generally a skill deficit in the labour force, i.e. lack of a well-trained labour force, primarily due to the low level of schooling and vocational training considering the income per capita of Angola. Qualitative interviews frequently stressed this structural
deficit of workers with employable skills in both the construction and manufacturing sectors, despite the reported growth in these sectors for the last 15 years. However, employment generated in these sectors since the end of the war in 2002 has led to an improvement in the situation and an expansion
in the pool of workers with relevant skills. Yet, this growth has not been enough to meet the demand for semi-skilled and skilled workers like electricians, welders, carpenters, heavy machinery operators, among other categories. The Angolan vocational education system has not generated enough candidates with the relevant skills. Therefore, companies in these sectors still represent very important
sources of formal and informal on-the-job training for workers to contribute to skill development, particularly in public works construction and construction materials manufacturing.