The Tanzanian government has approved 41,500 new job positions for the 2025/2026 financial year, including 12,000 vacancies currently open for recruitment, officials has announced.
Ridhiwani Kikwete, Minister of State in the President’s Office for Public Service Management and Good Governance, told reporters that 5,000 positions are in the health sector while 7,000 are teaching roles, focusing on science and mathematics subjects.
Interviews for the current vacancies are set to begin December 13, 2025, Kikwete added, emphasizing that the government will ensure a transparent recruitment process based on merit, consistent with Tanzania’s employment policy.
The new appointments form part of efforts to strengthen public institutions, improve service delivery, and address skill gaps in critical sectors such as health and education, which have faced shortages in recent years.
Kikwete highlighted the government’s commitment to maintaining fair and competitive hiring practices across public institutions, departments, and agencies, underlining the role of the recruitment drive in advancing national development goals.
Tanzania faces mounting challenges in its labor market, with youth unemployment estimated at 10–12 percent for those aged 15–24, according to World Bank and ILO figures, while many more are underemployed.
The majority of Tanzanians work in the informal sector, which employs roughly 80 percent of the workforce in low-paying or precarious jobs, limiting access to stable income and social benefits.
A key factor exacerbating unemployment is the mismatch between education and labor market needs. Graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as vocational and technical fields, often struggle to find positions due to insufficient opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
In response, the government has been expanding public sector employment, particularly in health, education, and local administration, as part of a broader strategy to absorb new entrants into the workforce. Programs under the National Employment Policy aim to improve youth employability, encourage entrepreneurship, and strengthen vocational training. Authorities have stressed that recruitment will remain transparent and merit-based, ensuring fair access to public jobs.
Despite steady economic growth of 4–6 percent annually, job creation has not kept pace with Tanzania’s rapidly growing labor force, which adds around 1 million new entrants each year. Key sectors with employment potential include agriculture, tourism, mining, manufacturing, and ICT, but structural constraints and limited private sector capacity have slowed large-scale absorption of skilled labor.
The social impact of high youth unemployment is significant, contributing to increased urban migration, underemployment, and vulnerability to informal work. Expanding public sector opportunities, including the recent approval of 41,500 new positions for 2025/26, is seen as a critical step in alleviating these pressures while supporting essential public services.
