By: Julius Konton
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s claim that his administration has created or facilitated 70,000 jobs nationwide has ignited a fierce national debate, exposing deep divisions between government officials, economic analysts, and opposition figures over what constitutes “job creation” in one of West Africa’s most fragile economies.
While the Executive Mansion has framed the disclosure made during President Boakai’s Third State of the Nation Address (SONA) as evidence of economic momentum, critics argue the figure risks becoming a politically convenient statistic rather than a reflection of lived economic reality.
Amid mounting skepticism, a financial expert has released a detailed breakdown of the 70,000 jobs, revealing a complex mix of short-term, donor-supported, and non-permanent employment opportunities, far removed from traditional salaried jobs many Liberians associate with economic security.
The Numbers Behind The Headline; A Sector By Sector Breakdown
According to the expert’s analysis, the 70,000 jobs are distributed across four major sectors:
Sectoral Distribution:
Infrastructure & Public Works: 35,000 jobs
Social Protection Programs (REALISE): 15,000 jobs
Agriculture & Fisheries: 12,000 jobs
Small Business & Youth Employment Programs: 8,000 jobs
Nature of Employment:
Short-term project-based jobs: 60%
Medium-term contractual jobs: 30%
Permanent civil service positions: 10%
The figures indicate that only about 7,000 jobs qualify as permanent government employment less than 0.6% of Liberia’s estimated labor force, which exceeds 1.2 million people, according to World Bank labor data.
Jobs Vs Payroll; A Critical Distinction:
The financial expert emphasized that the President’s statement does not imply 70,000 new payroll positions within government institutions a clarification many Liberians say was missing from the original disclosure.
“Seventy thousand jobs does not mean seventy thousand civil service salaries,” the expert explained.
“It means seventy thousand Liberians earned income at some point through road works, agriculture programs, social protection initiatives, and youth projects.”
He further argued that project-based employment dominates even advanced economies, noting that public works and social safety-net programs are often designed as temporary income buffers, not long-term employment solutions.
“Even developed countries rely heavily on contract and project jobs. What matters is whether people worked and earned even if temporarily,” he said.
Historical Context; A Familiar Political Narrative
Liberia’s post-war governments have long relied on employment figures as political capital, particularly in State of the Nation Addresses.
Previous administrations, including those of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Weah, similarly cited job numbers tied to donor-funded projects, community road maintenance, and cash-for-work schemes.
However, economists warn that such figures often inflate perceptions of economic stability while masking deeper structural problems such as:
Youth unemployment estimated at over 70%
An informal economy employing more than 80% of workers
Persistent underemployment and wage insecurity
Against this backdrop, critics argue President Boakai’s disclosure risks repeating a long-standing cycle of optimistic statistics disconnected from household-level hardship.
Opposition Pushback; Rhetoric Over Reality
Opposition parties and civil society groups have seized on the expert’s breakdown to intensify their criticism of the Boakai’s administration, describing the 70,000-jobs figure as “statistical packaging” designed to soften public frustration.
Several opposition lawmakers described the President’s SONA as “heavy on numbers but light on measurable impact,” pointing to:
rising food prices.
Youth migration pressures
Limited private-sector expansion
“Liberians don’t feel 70,000 jobs in their pockets,” one opposition figure said.
“They feel hunger, unemployment, and insecurity. That is the real data”,he blasted.
Analysis: Economic Intervention Or Political Spin
Analysts agree that while income-generating programs are not inherently deceptive, the controversy stems from how the data was presented.
By grouping temporary, donor-funded, and contractual work under a single employment figure, the government blurred the line between:
Short-term social protection
Sustainable job creation
Civil service expansion
For a population where formal employment remains the gold standard of stability, the distinction is not academic, it is existential.
A Statistic That Divides President Boakai’s 70,000 Jobs Disclosure
President Boakai’s 70,000-jobs disclosure has become more than a policy talking point; it is now a referendum on credibility, transparency, and economic messaging.
Whether viewed as a defensible accounting of income opportunities or a politically inflated figure, the controversy underscores a deeper truth: Liberia’s employment crisis cannot be solved or explained by numbers alone.
Until job creation translates into durable wages, private-sector growth, and long-term security, critics say such figures will continue to provoke more questions than confidence.
