Women’s share of Afghan labour market shrinks to 5pc under Taliban

GENEVA: The portion of women in Afghanistan’s workforce has fallen to just 5 per cent since the Taliban takeover five years ago, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which called for measures to address their “severe exclusion”.

Female labour force participation fell to less than a third of its previous level, to 5.1 per cent in 2026 from 16.5 per cent in 2020.

In contrast, male employment has expanded rapidly, the ILO said.

“Afghanistan cannot build a resilient labour market while such a large share of its population remains excluded from economic activity,” said Tite Habiyakare, senior coordinator and head of the ILO Office for Afghanistan.

The report attributed the decline to Taliban restrictions curtailing women’s education and employment. Afghanistan has the second-lowest level of female employment in the world after Yemen, it said.

However, the number of women-owned businesses has increased tenfold since the takeover due to their exclusion from many other professions, according to the UN Development Programme.

Overall, Afghan employment increased by 14 per cent from a 2022 low, reaching 8.5 million in 2026, the ILO said.

However, it has not kept pace with rapid population growth amid the large-scale return of Afghans from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, the report said.