Tanzania is increasingly looking beyond the country’s borders for employment opportunities as it seeks to ease pressure on the domestic labour market.
The new strategy, the government says, has already connected more than 15,000 Tanzanians with jobs abroad over the past two years.
Speaking on September 28,2026, Minister responsible for Labour, Employment and Relations, Mr Deus Sangu, said 8,804 Tanzanians had been connected with employment opportunities abroad between January and September this year alone.
The figures come at a time when Tanzania is facing a growing mismatch between the number of young people entering the labour market and the number of jobs available.
According to the Labour Force Survey 2021 and the 2007 National Youth Development Policy, revised in 2024, about one million young people enter the labour market annually, while universities produce about 800,000 graduates each year.
Only about 200,000 young people, however, are able to secure employment annually, leaving a large number competing for limited opportunities.
For the government, expanding access to international labour markets is therefore becoming part of the response to the employment challenge.
‘From January to September this year, 8,804 Tanzanians have been connected with employment opportunities, while over the past two years 15,717 Tanzanians have secured jobs abroad,’ Mr Sangu said.
Mr Sangu was addressing journalists on the next major step in the strategy- the Second Doha Dialogue on Labour Mobility and Employment, which Tanzania will host on October 5 and 6.
The meeting will bring together African countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries-Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain-alongside Jordan and Lebanon.
The first Doha Dialogue was held in Qatar in May 2024, involving 33 countries, including 25 African nations. Tanzania participated in the meeting, where the Doha Declaration was adopted as a basis for continued cooperation on labour mobility.
For years, employment opportunities for Tanzanians in the Gulf have largely been associated with domestic work, a sector that has also attracted concerns over exploitation of migrant workers.
Mr Sangu said the government was now negotiating opportunities in professional fields, including teaching, medicine and engineering.
‘Previously, we were used to Tanzanians going to Arab countries mainly for domestic work. Now we have entered agreements that are creating opportunities for university teachers, doctors and engineers,’ he said.
The government, he said, expects to also announce opportunities for more than 600 engineers and technicians, while further negotiations with a major Gulf company are expected to create another 4,500 jobs.
The shift towards skilled employment could become important as Tanzania seeks to get greater economic value from its growing pool of educated young people.
Development analyst, Mr Samson Sombi, said: ‘International employment could reduce pressure on the domestic labour market while increasing household incomes through money sent home by workers.’
However, he cautioned that the long-term benefits would depend on the quality of jobs secured.
‘The long-term benefits will depend on the type of jobs available, wage levels, protection of workers’ rights and how the money earned is used in the domestic economy,’ he said.
He said the growing demand for doctors, engineers and university lecturers also pointed to a shift from low-skilled employment towards the export of skilled labour.
‘This can increase the value of Tanzania’s human capital in the global labour market,’ Mr Sombi said.
The government is simultaneously tightening controls to protect workers from exploitation.
Mr Sangu said no private recruitment agency was allowed to transport Tanzanians abroad for employment outside the government’s official systems.
‘No private recruitment agency is allowed to transport workers abroad without going through the government’s systems,’ he said.
Workers are required to have formal employment contracts, which are reviewed through the Prime Minister’s Office.
The government says the contracts are intended to protect workers’ rights, ensure that wages correspond with their duties and establish clear responsibilities for employers.
It also requires employers to coordinate with Tanzanian embassies before workers begin employment.
Mr Sangu said the measures had helped address concerns over passport confiscation, exploitation and other forms of abuse, adding that no such case had been reported to the ministry between January and September this year.
Mr Sangu said the Dar es Salaam meeting would focus on strengthening bilateral labour agreements, matching workers’ skills with labour-market demand and developing migration systems capable of responding to technological change and new forms of work.