Does Cameroon Really Create Thousands of Jobs? The Numbers Behind Government Claims

Cameroon recorded 197,356 new jobs in 2025, according to the National Observatory of Employment and Vocational Training (ONEFOP), as job creation continues to feature prominently in the government’s economic agenda.

The figure, contained in ONEFOP’s latest review of employment in the modern economy, represents an increase of 6,151 jobs, or 3.2%, from the 191,205 recorded in 2024. However, it remained below the government’s annual target of 300,000 jobs. In 2023, the number stood at 209,823 according to MINEFOP – République du Cameroun

The tertiary sector accounted for the largest share of the 2025 total, with 87,124 jobs, or 44.1%. The secondary sector followed with 78,783, while the primary sector accounted for 31,449 jobs, Cameroon Tribune reported.

Job creation has been a recurring theme in government policy and presidential addresses. In his 2025 New Year message, President Paul Biya cited more than 2,500 direct jobs from a new tile-production plant in Bipaga and announced the recruitment of 9,944 health workers over five years.

Biya also announced a special youth employment promotion plan during his November 2025 inauguration, including incentives for companies recruiting young people and labor-intensive public investment projects.

But what is really counted as a job in Cameroon? The government seems to crowd every job opportunity to mean that the efforts came from it. The government employment statistics have historically included jobs generated through public investment projects, private enterprises, cooperatives and other programs. In 2021, for example, the government reported 358,247 jobs created.

What counted as a “job” in the 2021 figure?

The website of the ministry of finance shows that 230,065 jobs were attributed to Public Investment Budget (PIB) projects representing 64.2% of the entire 358,247 total. Private enterprises accounted for another 81,163, or 22.6%. The rest came from a mixture of government administration, cooperatives, NGOs, local authorities and integration programs.

The figures therefore show a continuing government emphasis on job creation, while also highlighting the gap between announced ambitions and the number of jobs recorded annually. so, when the government says it created jobs, it is not really talking about the jobs that were directly created by the respective ministries or permanent jobs. It is talking about jobs created by private individuals, jobs that will disappear when projects disappear, among others.

Official employment data show that Cameroon recorded 209,823 jobs in 2023, 191,205 in 2024 and 197,356 in 2025, meaning the number fell sharply in 2024 before recovering modestly the following year.

The 2026 statistics would be known in 2027 or when President Paul Biya delivers end-of-year speech.