Solomon Islands: jobs and pay

Is employment growing in the Solomon Islands?

Active and inactive contributors to the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund numbered 61,694 in the first half of 2026, down slightly from 61,829 at the end of December 2025, according to the Central Bank of Solomon Islands Monetary Policy Report of September 2026. Advertised job vacancies rose by 50% over the same period.

Provident fund contributors are used as a rough measure of formal employment, since employers pay into the fund for their workers. They do not cover informal or subsistence work. The most recent official unemployment rate is from the 2019 census, published by the National Statistics Office; there is no regular labour force survey.

Official sources: Central Bank of Solomon Islands: Monetary Policy Report, September 2026 (PDF) · SINSO: unemployment in the 2019 census

What is the unemployment rate in the Solomon Islands?

The unemployment rate in the Solomon Islands was 7.9% at the 2019 census, according to the National Statistics Office's census report release. Urban unemployment was 12.06%, about twice the rural rate of 6.25%, and Honiara had the highest rate of any province at 13.5%.

Young people had the highest rates: 15.2% for people aged 15 to 19. A census measures unemployment only once every ten years, and rates depend on how work is defined. A modelled ILO estimate puts unemployment at 1.4% in 2025.

Official sources: SINSO: unemployment in the 2019 census · World Bank: unemployment, Solomon Islands

How much do workers in the Solomon Islands pay into the provident fund?

Employees in the Solomon Islands pay at least 5% of their wages into the National Provident Fund, and employers pay 7.5%, a total of 12.5%, according to the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund. Contributions are due once an employee has worked six or more days and earned SBD 20 or more in a month.

The money goes into the worker's own account. The Fund credited a return of 5.50% to member accounts for 2026, after 8% for 2025, according to its crediting rate page. The rate is set by the Board each year from the Fund's investment earnings, with a statutory floor of 2.5%.

Official sources: SINPF: contribution rates · SINPF: crediting rate

How many people work in Solomon Islands businesses?

The establishments visited in the 2024 National Economic Establishment Census employed 36,275 workers, 68.6% of them in formal businesses and 31.4% in informal ones, according to the National Statistics Office's NEEC main report. Half of all workers (51.3%) were in businesses with two to four workers.

Businesses with 200 or more workers employed 1,189 people. The census covered businesses with visible premises in the main locations and left out mining and finance, so it is not a count of all jobs. Subsistence farming and fishing are not included.

Official sources: SINSO: NEEC 2024 main report (PDF)

How many workers in the Solomon Islands are self-employed or in family work?

68.7% of workers in the Solomon Islands were in vulnerable employment in 2025, according to a modelled estimate from the International Labour Organization published by the World Bank.

Vulnerable employment means own-account workers and unpaid family workers, who are less likely to have formal contracts or social protection. The figure is a model estimate rather than a direct survey result. The National Provident Fund had about 61,700 contributors in mid-2026, a rough measure of formal jobs.

Official sources: World Bank: vulnerable employment, Solomon Islands · Central Bank of Solomon Islands: Monetary Policy Report, September 2026 (PDF)

How much is the minimum wage in the Solomon Islands?

According to the ILO, the statutory minimum wage in the Solomon Islands was 1,664 SBD a month (about $197) in 2024. No year since 2012 has been higher.

How high is unemployment in the Solomon Islands?

In 2025, the unemployment rate in the Solomon Islands was 1.4%, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2009, at 2.0%; its low point was 2013, at 0.7%. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 2.9%, and the Solomon Islands placed 21st highest of 24. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 166th highest.

How many young people in the Solomon Islands are unemployed?

The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 2.8%. Its high point since 2005 was 2009, at 3.5%; its low point was 2013, at 1.3%. It is 22nd highest of 24 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 7.5%. World rank, highest first: 166th of 174.

What is the labour force participation rate in the Solomon Islands?

84.3%: that is the labour force participation rate in the Solomon Islands for 2025, according to the ILO. Since 2005 it has ranged from 83.5% (2020) to 84.5% (2007). Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 65.3%, and the Solomon Islands placed 1st highest of 24. World rank, highest first: 3rd of 174.

How many women in the Solomon Islands are working or looking for work?

The ILO puts the labour force participation rate for women in the Solomon Islands at 82.3% in 2025. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 82.8%; its low point was 2020, at 81.6%. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 56.3%, and the Solomon Islands placed 1st highest of 24. Worldwide: 2nd of 174.

What is the employment rate in the Solomon Islands?

83.1%: that is the employment to population ratio in the Solomon Islands for 2025, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2015, at 83.8%; its low point was 2008, at 82.8%. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 63.1%, and the Solomon Islands placed 1st highest of 24. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 2nd highest.

How many workers in the Solomon Islands are self-employed or family workers?

According to the ILO, the share of workers who are own-account or contributing family workers in the Solomon Islands was 68.7% in 2025. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. East Asia & Pacific median: 40.0%; the Solomon Islands is 3rd highest of 24. World rank, highest first: 29th of 174.

What share of jobs in the Solomon Islands are salaried?

The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 30.1%. That is the highest since at least 2005. It is 21st highest of 24 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 56.8%. World rank, highest first: 143rd of 174.