THE SPATIAL DIMENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

Zimbabwe currently faces a severe problem of unemployment. The challenges are being experienced in all parts of the country and in all sectors of the economy from primary right to the quaternary sector. Added to this is the problem of regional inequalities in the levels of unemployment. The paper examines spatial patterns of unemployment in Zimbabwe. Data on the levels of unemployment was collected from Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (ZIMSTAT) (2014) published reports of the 2012 population census. Using quartiles, the country was demarcated into four regions of unemployment zones based on the rate of unemployment in the administrative districts. It emerged from the research that overall, the level of unemployment in Zimbabwe is very high and in addition, there is severe inequality in the levels of unemployment across the administrative districts in the country.