Manufacturing Employment Falls by 4.5% in 2026

Employment in the country`s manufacturing sector fell by 4.5% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter in 2025, while the sector’s nominal wage bill declined by 7.4% over the same period, according to the Bank of Namibia’s (BON) September 2026 Quarterly Bulletin.

The report said the decline in manufacturing employment was mainly recorded in the non-metallic minerals, basic metals and textiles subsectors.

According to BON, manufacturing employment also fell by 7.0% compared with the first quarter of 2026.

The bulletin further reported that average wages in the manufacturing sector fell by 3.0% year-on-year during the second quarter.

The report linked the weakness in non-metallic minerals to reduced activity in diamond processing. It also noted that the decline in basic metals reflected the closure of a base-metal smelting plant during the period under review.

However, the figures showed an increase in manufacturing wages compared with the first quarter of 2026. According to the bulletin, the sector’s wage bill rose by 5.8%, while average wages increased by 13.8% quarter-on-quarter.

The Bank stated that its employment and wage figures are based on regular surveys of a sample of major companies in the manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade sectors, although the surveys do not cover the entire Namibian labour market.