In 2023, 361,000 inhabitants aged 15 or over were “active” on the labor market in Reunion : they had a job or were actively looking for one, according to the latest INSEE study.
The active population increased by an average of 2,500 people each year between 2018 and 2023 on the island, a much smaller increase than in the past. It increased by 3,700 per year between 2007 and 2018, and 5,000 per year between 2001 and 2007. This slowdown comes from less demographic dynamism and the aging of the population, despite a moderate increase in activity rates, estimates INSEE. Result : pressure on the labor market is decreasing, the number of jobs to be created to reduce unemployment on the island is less important over time. This promotes a reduction in unemployment. So, the unemployment rate as defined by the International Labor Office reached 19% in 2023, i.e. 6 points less than in 2007. The dynamics of the active population in Reunion is expected to continue to decline by 2050 due to the aging of the population., particularly the retirement of the large generations of the 1950s and 1960s.
