NISER Study Reveals Scarcity: Only 36 Health Vacancies Amidst Japa Exodus

A recent analysis by the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) has unveiled a concerning disparity: despite a significant depletion of Nigeria's healthcare professionals due to the 'japa' phenomenon (mass emigration), merely 36 formal job openings in the health sector were advertised in Nigerian newspapers during the first quarter of 2026.

The institute's findings, which scrutinized 778 job vacancies published in prominent newspapers like The PUNCH, The Guardian, and The Nation between January and March, highlighted critical employment shortfalls across key sectors, including health, agriculture, IT/Communication, transport/logistics, and manufacturing/construction. The health sector, in particular, accounted for a paltry 36 vacancies, making up only 4.63 percent of all advertised positions within the period.

NISER's report emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “Japa syndrome depletes doctors and nurses faster than formal recruitment replaces them. Only 36 vacancies for a nation of 220 million people.”

Echoing these concerns, Dr. Iziaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, recently addressed the 2026 United Kingdom Global Health Summit, where he lamented the widespread departure of Nigerian health workers to foreign countries. He noted this trend has exacerbated manpower shortages and placed immense strain on the nation's already overstretched health infrastructure. Salako pointed out that Nigeria currently has approximately four doctors per 10,000 citizens, falling significantly short of the World Health Organisation's recommended minimum of 10 physicians per 10,000 population.

NISER clarified that the Q1 2026 data is not indicative of temporary aberrations but rather reflects deeply entrenched structural characteristics of the Nigerian economy. These features, including uneven development, inadequate infrastructure, and persistent policy gaps, have solidified over decades. The report contends that these findings underscore broader structural imbalances within Nigeria's labour market, where employment opportunities remain heavily concentrated in a select few sectors and geographical areas.

Beyond the health sector, NISER's research revealed that administrative and support services dominated recruitment, representing 437 vacancies or 56.17 percent of all advertised jobs. Surprisingly, agriculture, a sector employing over 35 percent of Nigeria’s workforce, had only 11 advertised vacancies during the review period. The report highlighted this discrepancy, stating, “Agriculture employs 35%+ of Nigeria’s workforce, yet shows just 1.41% of vacancies. Almost exclusively institutional. No agri-tech, agribusiness or food-processing roles visible.”

Similarly, despite Nigeria's reputation as a leading technology hub in Africa, the information technology and communication sector recorded only 10 newspaper-advertised vacancies. The report suggested that the IT sector was “entirely invisible in this data,” likely because “hiring happens via LinkedIn, Jobberman, referrals.” It further observed that sectors like technology, logistics, hospitality, and trade increasingly rely on digital platforms and referrals for recruitment, meaning many vacancies bypass traditional newspaper advertisements. The report also noted the absence of gig economy workers in logistics from formal data capture, indicating that recruitment for roles such as riders and drivers often occurs outside formal channels, with the “E-commerce boom absorbed by invisible gig workforce.”

The manufacturing sector saw 74 vacancies during the quarter. However, the report indicated that fresh engineering graduates might face challenges entering this sector directly, as most positions demand over a decade of experience. It concluded, “Entire sectors of strategic national importance — Agriculture, IT/Communication, and Health — are either invisible in formal vacancy data or critically undersupplied relative to Nigeria’s actual needs.”

Geographically, the study found a overwhelming concentration of formal employment opportunities in the South-West region, which accounted for 67.63 percent of all region-specific vacancies. Lagos State alone contributed 243 vacancies, representing 34.23 percent of all state-coded job advertisements. The report stated, “Employment opportunity is concentrated in the Service sector, in the South West zone, and in Social Sciences and Business graduates.” It reiterated, “Vast swathes of the country — the North West, North East, and South East — remain largely absent from the map of formal employment opportunity.”

Disturbingly, 22 of Nigeria’s 36 states recorded zero formal job advertisements during the first quarter. “Twenty-two of Nigeria’s 36 states had zero recorded formal job advertisements in Q1 2026. Lagos + Oyo alone account for 51.27% of all state-coded vacancies, while the North-West and North-East recorded no dedicated single-zone vacancies during the period.”

The report also identified university degrees as the dominant entry requirement for formal employment, with 51 percent of vacancies demanding a first degree, while only three percent accepted applicants with O-Level qualifications. “First degree is the primary requirement; the era of O-Level-only formal employment is essentially over.”

NISER concluded that a quarterly job vacancy analysis, if institutionalized and expanded, could serve as a powerful tool for evidence-based economic governance in Nigeria. Such analysis “converts the daily act of job advertising into a real-time signal of where the economy is growing, stagnating, or failing.” The report emphasized that its recommendations are actionable, calling for precise, sequenced policy interventions rather than general aspirations.