Key Takeaways
- Sudan’s formal labor market has collapsed, with unemployment soaring to 55.7% and recruitment largely limited to the humanitarian sector.
- The informal economy has become the primary livelihood source, while digital platforms and remote work support only a small, displaced, and diaspora workforce.
- Long-term human capital loss, education disruption, and sectoral employment declines highlight urgent needs for targeted humanitarian funding and workforce capacity-building.
Sudan in 2025 presents a labor market unlike any in recent history, shaped by the profound and ongoing effects of conflict, economic collapse, and a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. The state of hiring and recruitment in the country is not merely indicative of normal labor market fluctuations but reflects a society under extreme duress, where traditional employment structures have been fundamentally dismantled and replaced by a precarious and survival-driven workforce. Understanding the current employment landscape requires a holistic perspective that considers not only economic indicators but also the demographic shifts, displacement patterns, and systemic challenges that define the contemporary Sudanese context.
The conflict that erupted in April 2023 has had catastrophic consequences for both population and economy, displacing millions and dismantling the infrastructure that previously supported urban and rural employment. By mid-2025, over 12 million Sudanese have been forced to leave their homes, including 7.7 million internally displaced persons and more than 4 million seeking refuge across borders. This massive displacement has created a mobile, unpredictable labor pool, complicating recruitment efforts and rendering traditional workforce planning virtually impossible. Simultaneously, the destruction of essential services, including education and healthcare, has further eroded human capital, creating long-term skill gaps that will affect Sudan’s labor market for decades.
Economic indicators paint a similarly stark picture. Inflation has soared, with estimates ranging from 65% to an extraordinary 500%, while the national currency has undergone extreme devaluation. This economic instability has decimated formal employment, leading to an unemployment rate exceeding 55% by early 2025. Private sector activity has all but vanished in conflict-affected urban centers, while the informal economy has expanded as a survival mechanism, with self-employment rising from 22.5% to nearly 40% among household heads. The agrifood and services sectors, once pillars of employment, have seen dramatic reductions in workforce participation, with millions of jobs lost due to disrupted supply chains, declining crop production, and urban instability.
Amid this turmoil, the international humanitarian and development sector has emerged as the primary source of formal employment. Organizations such as UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the International Organization for Migration have become critical recruiters, offering specialized roles in logistics, healthcare, and infrastructure repair. Salaries within this sector vary dramatically, with international staff earning up to six times more than local employees, highlighting a dual economy where a small fraction of the population benefits from relative economic stability while the majority remain impoverished and dependent on precarious informal work or aid.
Digital recruitment platforms, including Sudancareers.com, 9cv9 Job Portal, DevNetJobs, and international remote work sites, provide vital access to the limited formal opportunities available, particularly for the Sudanese diaspora. These platforms are a lifeline for the educated, mobile, and digitally connected population but remain largely inaccessible to displaced persons and those in rural areas due to widespread electricity outages and poor digital infrastructure. Remote work has emerged as a critical avenue for highly skilled professionals, offering wages far above local standards and further exacerbating economic disparities within the population.
This comprehensive examination of Sudan’s labor market in 2025 highlights not only the current employment challenges but also the structural and systemic issues that will shape the future of hiring and recruitment. The interplay between economic collapse, humanitarian crisis, displacement, and sectoral employment losses creates a highly complex and fragile labor environment, requiring targeted interventions by the international community, local organizations, and policymakers. For investors, recruiters, humanitarian agencies, and development organizations, a nuanced understanding of these dynamics is essential to navigate the fragmented job market, design effective hiring strategies, and contribute to the gradual stabilization of Sudan’s economy and workforce.
In summary, the state of hiring and recruitment in Sudan in 2025 is a direct reflection of the broader socio-economic and humanitarian crises affecting the country. It underscores the urgent need for sustainable interventions, innovative recruitment solutions, and investment in human capital development to ensure that even in the face of extreme adversity, the Sudanese workforce can adapt, survive, and eventually contribute to the nation’s recovery.
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With over nine years of startup and business experience, and being highly involved in connecting with thousands of companies and startups, the 9cv9 team has listed some important learning points in this overview of The State of Hiring and Recruitment in Sudan in 2025.
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The State of Hiring and Recruitment in Sudan in 2025
- The Context of Catastrophic Decline
- The Macroeconomic and Demographic Landscape of 2025
- The State of the Sudanese Labor Market
- Key Sectors and Hiring Trends in 2025
- Recruitment Channels and Compensation
- Outlook and Strategic Recommendations
1. The Context of Catastrophic Decline
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 reflects the aftermath of prolonged conflict and humanitarian emergency. The recruitment landscape is shaped by a fragile economy, large-scale displacement, and an urgent need for stabilization. This expert report presents an in-depth, data-driven exploration of employment dynamics, offering critical insights for international organizations, policy makers, and global employers evaluating Sudan’s workforce potential.
Context of Economic and Social Collapse
Sudan continues to endure profound structural breakdown. The conflict that ignited in April 2023 disrupted supply chains, displaced millions, and dismantled key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services. Hiring and recruitment patterns are therefore inseparable from the broader humanitarian crisis.
• Widespread Displacement: Millions of skilled and unskilled workers have migrated internally or across borders, shrinking the formal talent pool.
• Infrastructure Erosion: Persistent insecurity has damaged transport, energy, and digital networks, reducing the feasibility of large-scale recruitment initiatives.
• Informal Economy Expansion: With formal employment shrinking, the majority of economic activity has shifted to informal trade and subsistence work, complicating talent sourcing and regulatory oversight.
Divergent Economic Forecasts
Economic projections for Sudan in 2025 reveal sharp contrasts, underlining the country’s volatility and uncertainty.
| Source | 2023 GDP Change | 2024 GDP Change | 2025 Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Bank | -12% | -3.7% | -0.7% (stabilization) |
| International Monetary Fund | -18% | +0.4% | +7% (rapid rebound) |
| Independent Extreme Scenario | N/A | N/A | -42% (severe decline) |
| Independent Moderate Scenario | N/A | N/A | -32% (continued contraction) |
• Optimistic Outlook: IMF figures suggest that if hostilities subside, a quick economic rebound is possible, fueling a cautious return of private investment and job creation.
• Stabilization View: The World Bank anticipates gradual slowing of economic contraction, implying limited but steady hiring potential in niche sectors such as logistics and essential services.
• Pessimistic Scenarios: Independent studies warn of a GDP collapse exceeding 30%, indicating that without political resolution, recruitment will remain almost entirely humanitarian-driven.
Humanitarian Employment Landscape
Recruitment in 2025 is dominated by emergency response operations.
• Humanitarian Sector Dependence: Employment opportunities are concentrated in NGOs, relief agencies, and international aid projects, with positions ranging from field logistics to medical support.
• Funding Deficit: The humanitarian response plan for 2025 is funded at only 23% of the required 4.2 billion USD, limiting the number of sustainable jobs and creating fierce competition for available roles.
• Skills in Demand: Health care professionals, supply chain coordinators, and security specialists represent the most sought-after profiles, as organizations prioritize crisis management over commercial expansion.
Hiring and Recruitment Trends
Despite the bleak macroeconomic environment, certain patterns have emerged:
• Remote and Hybrid Engagement: International employers offering remote work are recruiting Sudanese professionals in IT and digital services, bypassing physical infrastructure challenges.
• Short-term Contracting: Temporary contracts dominate, allowing organizations to adapt to rapidly shifting security and funding conditions.
• Diaspora Contribution: Sudanese professionals abroad increasingly provide consultancy and knowledge-transfer services, supplementing the constrained domestic talent supply.
Strategic Considerations for Stakeholders
For multinational firms, development agencies, and regional employers, navigating Sudan’s hiring landscape in 2025 requires a tailored approach.
• Risk Mitigation: Comprehensive security assessments and flexible workforce planning are essential to protect personnel and assets.
• Partnership Building: Collaborations with local civil society and international NGOs can facilitate compliant recruitment while supporting humanitarian goals.
• Skills Development: Investment in training and remote learning platforms strengthens the resilience of Sudan’s workforce and prepares for eventual recovery.
The state of hiring and recruitment in Sudan during 2025 is defined not by traditional growth metrics but by survival imperatives. While small pockets of economic stabilization may emerge, the dominant narrative remains one of crisis management and humanitarian employment. Stakeholders who integrate risk analysis, adaptive hiring models, and targeted skills development will be best positioned to engage with Sudan’s evolving labor market in this period of profound uncertainty.
2. The Macroeconomic and Demographic Landscape of 2025
a. Economic Collapse and Projections for 2025
Sudan’s hiring and recruitment environment in 2025 reflects an economy under acute stress and a society grappling with the consequences of prolonged conflict. Employment trends are inseparable from the nation’s macroeconomic turmoil and demographic upheavals. This analysis presents a detailed, data-rich perspective for global employers, development agencies, and policy makers assessing Sudan’s labor market.
Macroeconomic and Demographic Overview
Sudan’s labor market functions within an ecosystem of widespread economic contraction and humanitarian emergency. Understanding recruitment requires examining both the economic freefall and the profound population displacement that shape every sector of employment.
Economic Collapse and Forecasts
Sudan’s economic conditions are defined by record inflation, currency devaluation, and chronic instability. Diverse projections highlight the scale of uncertainty.
| Indicator | 2020 Benchmark | 2025 Projection (IMF) | 2025 Projection (Independent Research) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation Rate | 35% | 65.7% | Up to 500% |
| Exchange Rate (SDG per USD, black market) | 55 | 1,200 | 1,200 or higher |
Key Insights
• Hyperinflation: Even the more conservative IMF forecast signals unsustainable price growth, while alternative estimates depict a near-total loss of monetary stability.
• Currency Devaluation: The Sudanese pound’s collapse from 55 SDG per USD in 2020 to an estimated 1,200 SDG per USD in 2025 reflects a market devoid of investor confidence and formal capital flows.
• Wage Erosion: Salaries rapidly lose purchasing power, eliminating the viability of fixed-wage employment and prompting widespread shifts toward informal income strategies.
Impact on Employment Structures
The economic crisis is more than a set of statistics; it is a force reshaping labor patterns and recruitment practices.
• Decline of Formal Employment: Traditional private sector hiring has contracted sharply, with most companies unable to offer sustainable wages or long-term contracts.
• Rise of Informal Economies: Workers increasingly rely on bartering, short-term cash work, and self-employment to meet daily needs, undermining the framework for structured recruitment.
• Humanitarian Reliance: International relief operations now represent the primary source of formal jobs, especially in logistics, healthcare, and emergency response.
Demographic Shifts and Workforce Mobility
Population displacement and migration significantly influence hiring trends.
• Internal Displacement: Millions have relocated to safer regions, causing severe imbalances in regional labor supply and demand.
• Skilled Worker Exodus: Professionals in medicine, engineering, and technology continue to leave Sudan, further constraining the domestic talent pool.
• Youth-Driven Informal Sector: A predominantly young population engages in micro-enterprise and temporary labor, adapting to an economy that rewards flexibility over formal qualifications.
Recruitment Trends and Emerging Niches
Despite extreme challenges, some hiring patterns have surfaced, particularly where international aid and remote work intersect.
• Humanitarian Recruitment: NGOs and relief agencies dominate formal hiring, seeking specialists in healthcare, security, and supply chain management.
• Remote Opportunities: International employers occasionally recruit Sudanese talent for digital roles, leveraging online platforms to bypass local infrastructure constraints.
• Adaptive Contracts: Employers favor short-term or project-based agreements, reflecting the unpredictable economic environment.
Strategic Implications for Stakeholders
Global employers and development agencies considering engagement in Sudan must plan for volatility and integrate risk management into recruitment strategies.
• Risk Assessment: Comprehensive security evaluations and flexible staffing models are essential.
• Local Partnerships: Collaborations with established humanitarian organizations can ensure compliance and workforce protection.
• Skills Development: Investments in digital training and remote learning strengthen workforce resilience and prepare for potential stabilization.
Hiring and recruitment in Sudan during 2025 are defined by survival imperatives rather than conventional economic growth. Hyperinflation, currency collapse, and mass displacement have transformed the labor market into a fragmented, aid-driven landscape. Stakeholders that adopt adaptive hiring practices, prioritize humanitarian collaboration, and invest in skills development will be best positioned to operate within this complex and volatile environment.
b. The Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is shaped by a displacement emergency of historic magnitude and a humanitarian crisis that has dismantled the country’s social and economic foundations. Recruitment and workforce planning are now inseparable from the realities of mass migration, collapsing services, and the erosion of human capital. This analysis provides a detailed and data-driven perspective for international employers, policy makers, and development agencies seeking to understand the evolving employment landscape.
Scale and Patterns of Displacement
Sudan has become the epicenter of the world’s largest displacement crisis, generating a labor force that is both highly mobile and exceedingly difficult to engage.
• Population Movements: By July 2025, an estimated 12 million Sudanese have been uprooted from their homes, including 7.7 million internally displaced individuals and 4.1 million who have crossed into neighboring nations. This represents more than a quarter of the country’s total population.
• Volatile Workforce Dynamics: Between November 2024 and August 2025, approximately 2.25 million people returned to conflict-affected regions such as Aj Jazirah and Khartoum. The decision to return despite active hostilities underscores the desperation caused by dire conditions in displacement camps, where shortages of food, water, and security remain acute.
• Labor Market Implications: The continuous flux of departures and returns creates an unpredictable labor supply, complicating efforts by employers and humanitarian agencies to plan recruitment or sustain consistent staffing levels.
Humanitarian and Service Infrastructure Breakdown
The humanitarian emergency has precipitated the near-total collapse of essential public services, directly constraining workforce readiness and hiring capacity.
| Key Indicator | Affected Population (Millions) | Percentage of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| Acute Food Insecurity | 24.6 | Over 50% |
| Lack of Access to Healthcare | 15 | Approximately 30% |
| Inoperative Health Facilities | 75% of all facilities | N/A |
| Children Deprived of Schooling | 19 | Over 40% |
| Schools Closed | 10,000 | N/A |
• Food Security Crisis: Over half the population faces severe food shortages, leaving many workers unable to maintain regular employment and forcing households into survival-based labor.
• Health System Collapse: Three-quarters of health facilities are nonfunctional, depriving millions of basic medical care and reducing worker productivity through untreated illness and chronic conditions.
• Educational Disruption: The closure of over 10,000 schools has left 19 million children without access to education, creating a long-term deficit in literacy, vocational skills, and professional qualifications.
Impact on Human Capital and Future Recruitment
The destruction of educational infrastructure and the lack of vocational training threaten to create a generational skills vacuum.
• Lost Generation Risk: Young Sudanese are experiencing prolonged interruptions in formal schooling, undermining the development of essential skills required for post-conflict economic participation.
• Shrinking Talent Pipeline: Professionals in critical sectors such as healthcare, engineering, and education continue to migrate or remain displaced, diminishing the pool of skilled labor available for immediate and future recruitment.
• Post-Conflict Challenges: Even if peace is achieved, the absence of adequately educated and trained workers will impede economic recovery and delay the re-establishment of a robust labor market for years to come.
Recruitment Realities in 2025
Employers and humanitarian agencies operating in Sudan confront unique hiring challenges.
• Highly Mobile Workforce: Constant population shifts make it difficult to verify qualifications, maintain consistent employment records, or ensure workforce retention.
• Emergency-Driven Hiring: Recruitment is dominated by humanitarian operations seeking specialists in healthcare, logistics, and security. Positions are typically short-term and mission-specific, reflecting the unstable environment.
• Long-Term Skill Scarcity: The collapse of formal education and vocational programs means that organizations must plan for extensive on-the-job training and invest in skill development to fill critical roles.
Conclusion
Sudan’s displacement crisis has transformed its labor market into one of the most volatile and challenging recruitment environments in the world. The intersection of mass migration, service collapse, and educational breakdown not only constrains present-day hiring but also sets the stage for a protracted skills gap. International stakeholders who prioritize adaptive hiring strategies, workforce training, and sustained humanitarian engagement will be best positioned to navigate and eventually help rebuild Sudan’s fractured employment landscape.
3. The State of the Sudanese Labor Market
a. The Collapse of Formal Employment
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 has undergone a dramatic structural transformation. The conventional employer–employee relationship has disintegrated under the weight of conflict, economic collapse, and mass displacement. What remains is a dual employment system dominated by humanitarian-driven formal jobs and a fragile, rapidly expanding informal economy. This section provides an advanced analysis of how these forces have redefined hiring and recruitment, offering critical insights for global employers, policy makers, and development agencies.
Transformation of the Labor Market
The Sudanese labor market no longer resembles a traditional, growth-oriented system. Economic volatility and persistent insecurity have pushed most economic activity into survival mode, with formal employment opportunities existing primarily within humanitarian operations.
Collapse of Formal Employment
Evidence from national and household surveys highlights the near-total breakdown of Sudan’s formal labor sector.
| Labor Indicator | Pre-Conflict Level | 2025 Level |
|---|---|---|
| National Unemployment Rate | 7.53% (2022) | 55.7% (Jan 2025) |
| Urban Household Heads with Full-Time Wage Employment | 36.6% | 15.6% |
| Household Heads with No Employment or Income | 1.6% | 18% |
| Former Full-Time Workers Now Without Income | — | 24.8% |
| Former Part-Time Workers Now Without Income | — | 29% |
Key Insights
• National unemployment has surged to over half the working-age population, illustrating a systemic labor market collapse.
• Urban centers, once the hubs of wage-based employment, now report fewer than one in six household heads holding full-time jobs.
• A growing share of the population has no source of income at all, forcing families to depend on aid or adopt informal coping strategies.
Drivers of the Collapse
The contraction of formal employment follows a clear trajectory.
• Business Closures and Layoffs: Conflict has disrupted supply chains and destroyed infrastructure, prompting companies to cease operations or cut staff drastically.
• Deindustrialization: Manufacturing and service industries have shrunk, eliminating salaried positions in key economic sectors.
• Government Retrenchment: Fiscal instability has reduced public sector hiring, further limiting stable employment options.
Emergence of a Dual Employment System
The decline of formal labor has given rise to a parallel economy with two distinct spheres.
• Humanitarian-Dependent Formal Work: International relief agencies and NGOs provide the majority of remaining formal jobs, particularly in healthcare, logistics, and emergency services. These positions, though stable relative to the broader market, are limited in number and often tied to short-term project funding.
• Expanding Informal Sector: A growing population engages in small-scale trade, day labor, and subsistence activities. This sector is characterized by low wages, absence of social protections, and extreme vulnerability to market shocks.
Recruitment and Hiring Implications
For organizations considering recruitment in Sudan, the labor market’s transformation presents both challenges and strategic opportunities.
• Narrow Talent Channels: Skilled professionals are concentrated in humanitarian roles or have migrated, reducing the pool of qualified candidates for private-sector hiring.
• Short-Term Contracts: Employers favor temporary or project-based engagements to navigate uncertainty and mitigate financial risk.
• Training Imperatives: With formal education and vocational programs disrupted, successful recruitment increasingly depends on employer-sponsored training and skill development.
Conclusion
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is defined by unprecedented unemployment, the near-eradication of traditional salaried work, and the rise of a dual employment system where humanitarian jobs and informal activity dominate. Any recruitment strategy must account for these realities, emphasizing adaptive hiring practices, investment in workforce training, and collaboration with international aid networks to access the limited pockets of formal talent that remain.
b. The Dominance of the Informal Economy
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is defined by the overwhelming dominance of the informal economy. The collapse of the formal sector has forced millions of workers to seek survival through self-employment and unregulated enterprise. This section provides an in-depth, data-driven analysis of how this transformation shapes hiring practices, workforce resilience, and future recruitment prospects.
Expansion of the Informal Economy
The informal sector, once a supplementary source of employment, now represents the primary engine of economic activity.
• Pre-Conflict Baseline: Before the outbreak of conflict, informal employment already accounted for approximately 65% of Sudan’s workforce, highlighting its longstanding role in the national economy.
• Post-Conflict Surge: The proportion of self-employed household heads has risen sharply from 22.5% to 39.4%, reflecting a mass migration of displaced workers into unregulated economic activity.
| Indicator | Pre-Conflict Level | 2025 Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Workforce in Informal Economy | 65% | Exceeds 75% |
| Self-Employed Household Heads | 22.5% | 39.4% |
| Micro-Enterprises with Access to Formal Loans | 2% | 2% or less |
| Businesses Facing More than 40 Annual Taxes | Significant | Significant |
Nature of Informal Employment
The rise of self-employment does not signify entrepreneurial optimism but a response to economic desperation.
• Survival-Driven Enterprise: Most individuals entering the informal economy do so as a last resort after losing formal employment and access to stable wages.
• Minimal Financial Inclusion: Only about 2% of micro-enterprises secure credit from formal financial institutions, severely limiting opportunities for growth or modernization.
• Complex Tax Burdens: Informal businesses face an average of 42 different taxes annually, creating barriers that discourage expansion and formalization.
Vulnerabilities and Risks
The informal economy provides short-term subsistence but remains fraught with structural weaknesses that hinder long-term stability and recruitment potential.
• Low Profit Margins: Informal enterprises typically operate on minimal capital, offering little opportunity for reinvestment or employee benefits.
• High Business Discontinuation: One in four informal businesses closes due to lack of finance, leading to chronic employment instability and frequent turnover.
• Absence of Worker Protections: Without regulatory oversight, employees and self-employed workers lack access to labor rights, social security, or health insurance.
Implications for Hiring and Recruitment
For organizations considering engagement in Sudan, the dominance of the informal economy demands innovative recruitment strategies.
• Scarcity of Formal Talent: With skilled professionals dispersed and unregistered, employers face significant challenges in verifying credentials or ensuring consistent workforce availability.
• Need for Capacity Building: Any effort to integrate informal workers into formal employment requires investment in financial literacy, access to microcredit, and training in business management.
• Collaboration with Local Networks: Successful hiring initiatives often depend on partnerships with community leaders and informal trade associations that can identify reliable workers within unstructured labor markets.
The informal economy in Sudan has become the principal mechanism of survival, absorbing the majority of those displaced from the formal sector. While it sustains millions, it also exposes workers and employers to chronic instability, financial exclusion, and a lack of protections. International stakeholders seeking to recruit or invest must design flexible, community-centered hiring models and prioritize financial inclusion initiatives to tap into this vast but vulnerable labor pool.
c. Sectoral Employment Losses
Sudan’s employment structure in 2025 reflects profound economic distress. The conflict-driven disruption has not only altered the nation’s hiring practices but has also dismantled the very industries that once sustained urban and rural livelihoods. Recruitment professionals and employers now face a drastically reconfigured labour market where survival, rather than growth, dictates workforce dynamics.
Impact on the Services Sector
• Urban Dependency and Job Erosion
The services industry, historically the backbone of Sudan’s urban employment, has endured an unprecedented contraction. Employment within this sector has fallen by an estimated 40.5 percent, eliminating approximately 2.3 million positions. Because the majority of armed conflict is concentrated in metropolitan areas, the collapse of retail, hospitality, education, and professional services has been especially severe. Hiring managers operating in these cities now compete for a diminished pool of talent, while many skilled professionals have either migrated or shifted to informal work for survival.
• Recruitment Implications
Employers attempting to fill critical roles must navigate infrastructure breakdowns, heightened security risks, and capital shortages. The demand for digital, logistics, and emergency response skills has risen sharply as international aid organizations seek to stabilise essential services. Yet the scarcity of qualified candidates limits the ability to rebuild operational capacity quickly.
Agrifood System Disruption
• Scale of Agricultural Job Losses
Agriculture, which provides livelihoods for nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population, has been equally destabilised. Employment in the agrifood system has effectively been cut in half under severe conflict conditions. Core staples such as sorghum and millet have recorded production declines of 42 percent and 64 percent respectively, reflecting the breakdown of planting cycles and supply chains.
• Recruitment and Food Security Interdependence
Hiring within agriculture now carries humanitarian significance. Positions related to irrigation, seed distribution, and farm management are critical not only for economic recovery but also for preventing famine. Organisations engaged in agricultural recruitment face the challenge of attracting workers to areas where violence, displacement, and lack of financing impede regular farming operations.
Sectoral Employment Data Snapshot
| Sector | Pre-Conflict Employment (Est.) | 2025 Employment (Est.) | Percentage Decline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services | ~5.7 million | ~3.4 million | –40.5% |
| Agrifood System | ~8.0 million | ~4.0 million | –50% |
Labour Market Outlook
• Humanitarian Hiring Needs
International relief agencies and non-governmental organisations have become dominant recruiters, prioritising roles in food distribution, health care, and emergency logistics.
• Private Sector Recovery Prospects
Private enterprises face extraordinary barriers: limited credit access, infrastructure destruction, and inconsistent governance. Any significant rebound in recruitment is contingent upon political stabilisation, restoration of trade routes, and sustained external investment.
This comprehensive overview underscores that hiring and recruitment in Sudan during 2025 are inseparable from the broader humanitarian and economic crisis. Employers, policymakers, and global stakeholders must coordinate efforts not only to restore employment but also to ensure the survival of entire communities dependent on these critical sectors.
4. Key Sectors and Hiring Trends in 2025
a. The Dominant Humanitarian and Development Sector
Sudan’s recruitment environment in 2025 reflects a nation in crisis, where hiring has narrowed to a handful of sectors that sustain basic survival and humanitarian relief. Traditional private enterprises remain largely inactive, leaving global aid organisations and emergency services as the main drivers of employment. This concentration of opportunity has reshaped salary structures, candidate requirements, and workforce composition.
Humanitarian and Development as the Principal Employer
• Expansion of International Agencies
International relief and development organisations have become Sudan’s largest employers, overshadowing domestic businesses. Global entities such as UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration, and Médecins Sans Frontières lead the recruitment landscape, offering positions that respond directly to the breakdown of public infrastructure. These organisations provide the majority of formal job openings, focusing on crisis management and recovery projects.
• Critical Job Categories
The highest demand exists for roles essential to logistics, supply chain management, and emergency medical care. Positions such as Project Supply Chain Manager, Warehouse Assistant, and Logistics Officer are consistently advertised to maintain the flow of food, medicine, and essential goods through disrupted supply networks. Equally urgent is the recruitment of medical personnel, including Deputy Medical Coordinators, Midwife Supervisors, and Epidemiologists, who are needed to fill gaps left by the near-total collapse of Sudan’s health system. Civil engineering and project support roles are also vital to rebuild infrastructure and ensure safe transport routes.
• Dual-Tier Hiring Structure
A defining characteristic of this sector is the stark division between international specialists and local support workers. International staff are typically hired for senior technical or managerial roles, while local employees fill field-level or operational positions. Middle-management opportunities, common in stable economies, are notably absent, reflecting the weakened domestic private sector.
Compensation Disparities and Economic Polarisation
• Salary Comparisons
The remuneration gap between international and local employees illustrates the emergence of a “dual economy.” Data shows international P-2 level professionals earning between USD 82,000 and USD 111,000 annually, while local staff such as Infection Prevention and Control Supervisors receive approximately USD 1,755 per month.
• Impact on Local Purchasing Power
This disparity creates an economic divide where international employees maintain living standards disconnected from the financial reality of the Sudanese population. Local workers, even when formally employed, often struggle to meet rising costs of food, transportation, and housing due to the weakened national currency and inflationary pressures.
Key Salary Matrix: Humanitarian Sector 2025
| Role Category | Typical Candidate Pool | Estimated Annual/Monthly Pay (USD) | Notes on Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| International P-2 Level Specialists | Global technical experts | 82,000 – 111,000 annually | High demand for logistics and medical aid |
| Local Infection Control Supervisor | Sudanese health professionals | ~1,755 monthly | Critical to public health initiatives |
| Warehouse & Logistics Staff | Local operational workers | 1,200 – 1,500 monthly (approx.) | Essential for supply chain continuity |
Recruitment Outlook
• Reliance on External Funding
The humanitarian sector’s ability to sustain hiring is closely tied to international aid budgets and donor priorities. Any reduction in global funding would immediately impact recruitment levels and compensation packages.
• Limited Domestic Competition
With private industry largely dormant, international organisations face minimal competition for talent, allowing them to set wages and conditions. However, this also restricts career mobility for Sudanese professionals seeking advancement beyond entry-level roles.
The dominance of humanitarian and development employment illustrates the depth of Sudan’s economic transformation. Recruitment in 2025 is less about building long-term growth and more about securing essential services, highlighting the urgent need for political stability and economic reconstruction to diversify employment opportunities.
b. The Collapsed Private Sector
Sudan’s private sector, once viewed as a driver of economic growth and job creation, has undergone a dramatic contraction by 2025. The sustained conflict has disrupted supply chains, displaced talent, and eroded the financial foundations required for businesses to function. Recruitment in this environment is minimal, reflecting a market where private enterprise struggles to survive amid political instability and armed confrontation.
Retreat of Formal Businesses
• Evidence of Economic Withdrawal
The 2024 UNDP/IFPRI household survey highlights the severity of the downturn, showing that 18 percent of urban household heads now report zero income. This alarming figure underscores the widespread closure of companies and the mass layoffs that have followed. The concentration of conflict in major urban centres—historically the heart of Sudan’s commerce—has led to widespread business insolvencies, from retail and manufacturing to professional services.
• Structural Barriers to Recovery
Persistent insecurity, destruction of infrastructure, and the collapse of banking systems have eliminated the predictability required for private investment. Entrepreneurs face erratic currency fluctuations, limited access to working capital, and disrupted transportation networks, making it nearly impossible to plan or expand operations. Recruitment has consequently dwindled to a trickle, with only a few small-scale enterprises managing to hire staff, often on a temporary or informal basis.
Conflict-Driven Militarisation of Key Industries
• Strategic Commodities Under Armed Control
The conflict has not only damaged physical assets but has also militarised critical economic value chains. Livestock trading and gum arabic production—two of Sudan’s most important export sectors—are now controlled or heavily influenced by armed groups. These factions exploit these industries to fund military operations, converting once-profitable markets into mechanisms for sustaining conflict.
• Implications for Hiring and Investment
This militarisation deters legitimate private investment. Any attempt to engage in these sectors risks becoming entangled in conflict financing networks, exposing businesses to legal, ethical, and security liabilities. Potential investors, both domestic and international, are reluctant to recruit or expand within these industries, fearing not only financial loss but also reputational damage.
Employment and Revenue Matrix: Private Sector 2022–2025
| Indicator | 2022 (Pre-Conflict) | 2025 (Current Estimate) | Key Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Household Heads with No Income | 1.6% | 18% | Reflects mass closures of formal enterprises |
| Private Sector Job Openings (Monthly Avg) | ~15,000 | <3,000 | Indicates over 80% decline in hiring capacity |
| SME Operational Continuity Rate | 72% | 25% | Most small enterprises have suspended activity |
Future Recruitment Outlook
• Reliance on Humanitarian Funding
With domestic businesses collapsing, employment opportunities have shifted almost entirely to humanitarian and non-governmental organisations. Private sector hiring remains stagnant, dependent on external aid and post-conflict reconstruction efforts.
• Preconditions for Recovery
For private recruitment to resume meaningfully, Sudan will require not only a ceasefire but also a comprehensive demilitarisation of economic value chains, restoration of financial services, and rebuilding of transport and energy infrastructure. Without these conditions, the private sector will remain marginal, and hiring will continue to reflect survival rather than growth.
The collapse of Sudan’s private sector illustrates how conflict transforms an economy’s foundations. Until stability returns and armed control over strategic resources ends, recruitment and investment will remain severely constrained, leaving the labour market dominated by humanitarian employment and informal survival strategies.
5. Recruitment Channels and Compensation
a. The Role of Digital Platforms and Networks
Sudan’s recruitment landscape in 2025 has undergone a profound transformation, reflecting the collapse of traditional employment channels and the rise of survival-driven alternatives. Both the methods of sourcing work and the structure of compensation have been fundamentally reshaped by conflict, displacement, and economic instability.
Digital Platforms and Professional Networks
• Persistence of Online Recruitment
Despite the deterioration of infrastructure, digital platforms continue to serve as critical conduits for formal employment opportunities. Online portals such as Sudancareers.com, 9cv9 Job Portal, DevNetJobs.org, and international recruitment services including the 9cv9 Recruitment Agency remain active, primarily listing roles within humanitarian aid, logistics, IT, and emergency services. These platforms provide visibility for both international and local positions, bridging a small but crucial gap between employers and candidates.
• Limitations Imposed by Infrastructure
The efficacy of these digital channels is severely constrained by infrastructural deficiencies. According to the 2024 UNDP survey, nearly 90 percent of households report unreliable electricity supply, while internet connectivity remains sporadic and fragile. Consequently, only a limited segment of the population—including the educated urban elite, mobile professionals, and diaspora workers—can reliably access these portals. The majority of displaced individuals and those in rural or conflict-affected areas are effectively excluded from these recruitment networks, creating a dual-access scenario in the labor market.
Compensation Patterns and the Emergence of a Dual Economy
• International Versus Local Salaries
Positions advertised through these portals reveal stark disparities in compensation. International specialists typically receive competitive salaries aligned with global humanitarian standards, often exceeding USD 80,000 annually for senior roles. In contrast, local hires occupy operational or field-level positions with substantially lower pay, averaging between USD 1,200 to USD 2,000 monthly. This wage gap reinforces the dual economy that characterizes Sudan’s labor market, wherein a small cadre of international staff operates with purchasing power entirely detached from the local cost of living.
• Incentives and Non-Monetary Benefits
Recruiters increasingly offer non-monetary incentives to attract qualified personnel to insecure regions. These may include housing allowances, transportation stipends, medical coverage, and access to international training programs. Such benefits partially compensate for the high-risk environment and the limited pool of experienced candidates.
Recruitment Channel Matrix: Digital Platforms and Accessibility
| Platform/Agency | Primary Users | Typical Roles Offered | Accessibility Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sudancareers.com | Local urban professionals | Humanitarian, logistics, IT | Limited by unreliable electricity |
| DevNetJobs.org | International and local specialists | Aid coordination, technical support | Requires stable internet connection |
| 9cv9 Job Portal | Local professionals and diaspora | Logistics, administration, IT | Infrastructure-dependent, urban-focused |
| 9cv9 Recruitment Agency | Employers seeking vetted candidates | Humanitarian, project management | Limited reach in rural/conflict zones |
Implications for Employers and Job Seekers
• Narrow Talent Pools
Employers relying on digital recruitment face a constrained candidate base, skewed toward individuals with access to technology and international networks. This limitation reinforces the reliance on a select group of qualified applicants while leaving large portions of the population untapped.
• Strategic Considerations for Hiring
Effective recruitment strategies now require integration of online platforms with community outreach, partnerships with local NGOs, and mobile-based candidate engagement to ensure wider access. Employers who successfully combine digital and on-the-ground networks gain a critical advantage in securing talent under these extreme conditions.
In conclusion, recruitment channels in Sudan have adapted to survive in a context of extreme instability. Digital platforms such as Sudancareers.com, 9cv9 Job Portal, DevNetJobs.org, and services like the 9cv9 Recruitment Agency play a pivotal role in connecting employers and candidates, but their reach remains limited. Compensation structures reflect a bifurcated economy, while effective recruitment increasingly demands innovative approaches that bridge technology and field-based networks.
b. The Sudanese Diaspora and Remote Work
In the context of Sudan’s ongoing economic collapse and humanitarian crisis, the diaspora has emerged as a critical actor in sustaining livelihoods and accessing global employment opportunities. Remote work has become an increasingly significant pathway for displaced professionals and highly skilled individuals who are either living abroad or able to access reliable digital infrastructure.
Diaspora Participation in Global Labour Markets
• Expansion of Remote Employment
Sudanese professionals, particularly those outside the conflict zones, are leveraging remote work platforms such as ZipRecruiter and other international job boards to secure employment that is financially unattainable within Sudan. These opportunities range from project-based contracts to permanent positions in IT, consultancy, data analysis, and digital services. Remote salaries vastly exceed domestic wages, offering rates between USD 22 and USD 74 per hour, with many positions providing monthly compensation of USD 2,000 to USD 4,000. The average hourly wage for remote work accessible to the Sudanese diaspora is approximately USD 25.17, a level far above the average local earning potential.
• Creation of Economic Disparities
The growing reliance on remote work for the diaspora has introduced a pronounced economic stratification within the Sudanese population. While a minority of professionals benefit from substantial incomes and global exposure, the majority remain confined to a collapsed labor market, facing limited or informal employment. This divide contributes to the emergence of a dual economic system: a remote-capable, highly compensated diaspora and a local population struggling with extreme inflation, food insecurity, and job scarcity.
Implications for Human Capital and Labour Retention
• Brain Drain and Skill Depletion
The ability of skilled professionals to secure well-compensated remote work exacerbates Sudan’s brain drain. The emigration of highly educated individuals and technical specialists weakens the domestic labor force, leaving behind a workforce with limited experience and training. This depletion of human capital further hinders any medium- to long-term economic recovery and restricts the pool of potential candidates for both formal and informal recruitment.
• Impact on Local Recruitment Strategies
Employers and humanitarian organisations operating within Sudan must navigate a constrained talent pool. The absence of experienced professionals elevates competition for skilled workers, inflates local salaries for scarce expertise, and increases reliance on international recruits or remote arrangements where feasible. Remote work thus serves as both an economic lifeline for the diaspora and a structural challenge for domestic employment.
Diaspora Remote Work Compensation Overview
| Role Type | Average Hourly Rate (USD) | Average Monthly Rate (USD) | Key Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT & Digital Services | 22 – 74 | 2,000 – 4,000 | High demand, accessible via global platforms |
| Consultancy & Project Management | 30 – 60 | 2,500 – 3,800 | Often remote and project-based |
| Data Analysis & Research Roles | 25 – 50 | 2,200 – 3,500 | Suitable for highly skilled diaspora professionals |
Strategic Considerations
• Leveraging the Diaspora for Domestic Development
International organisations and private enterprises may consider hybrid strategies to integrate diaspora talent into domestic projects via remote oversight, training, and advisory roles. This approach can partially mitigate the loss of skilled labor while contributing to local capacity building.
• Long-Term Labour Market Implications
Unless Sudan can stabilise its economy and rebuild essential services, remote work for the diaspora will continue to dominate high-skill employment, entrenching inequality and prolonging the erosion of domestic human capital. This duality underscores the need for targeted policies that incentivise retention, skills transfer, and investment in local talent development.
In sum, remote work has become a vital economic instrument for the Sudanese diaspora, offering financial stability and professional continuity in a country where domestic hiring is constrained by conflict and infrastructure collapse. While this phenomenon provides significant benefits for those able to access global markets, it also deepens disparities, accelerates brain drain, and reshapes the contours of Sudan’s labor market in 2025.
c. Compensation and Salary Structures
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is characterized by extreme disparities in compensation, reflecting the profound collapse of formal employment and the emergence of a dual economy. Reliable national salary data is nearly nonexistent, and the few figures that are available primarily pertain either to highly specialized international staff or to limited local humanitarian roles.
Disparities Between International and Local Compensation
• International Staff Remuneration
For international professionals operating in Sudan, particularly within humanitarian and development organizations, salaries are substantial. P-2 level staff earn between USD 82,167 and USD 111,603 annually, reflecting the high-risk environment, specialized skill requirements, and global market benchmarks. These roles often include senior project management, logistics coordination, and technical advisory positions that are critical to sustaining humanitarian operations in conflict zones.
• Local Employment Compensation
In stark contrast, local employees occupying operational or field-level roles earn significantly lower salaries, often ranging from USD 1,200 to USD 1,755 per month. Positions such as Infection Prevention & Control Supervisor illustrate this gap, where the compensation is merely a fraction of the international scale yet represents one of the few formal income sources available to local Sudanese workers.
• Declining Average Income for Citizens
For the broader population, the collapse of the formal sector has resulted in an estimated 40 percent reduction in household income. Most individuals are forced into informal, self-employed, or humanitarian-dependent work, creating an economic environment in which wage labor is scarce and purchasing power is severely eroded.
Salary and Economic Landscape Table
| Compensation Category | Annual / Monthly Salary (USD) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| International P-2 Staff | 82,167 – 111,603 | Senior roles in humanitarian and development sectors |
| Local Humanitarian Field Roles | 1,200 – 1,755/month | Operational positions with limited upward mobility |
| General Sudanese Income Decline | -40% | Reflects collapse of formal private sector |
| Remote Diaspora Roles | 2,000 – 4,000/month; $22–74/hour | Accessed via global platforms, not reflective of local economy |
Macroeconomic and Labor Market Projections
Table: Key Economic and Demographic Projections for Sudan (2025)
| Indicator | Source | Projected Value (2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP Change | World Bank | -0.7% | Tentative stabilization after severe contraction |
| GDP Change | IMF | +7.0% | Optimistic post-conflict recovery scenario |
| GDP Decline | Research Paper | -32% to -42% | Moderate to extreme conflict scenarios |
| GDP Value | Research Paper | USD 31.51bn | Compared to USD 51.67bn pre-conflict |
| Consumer Prices (Inflation) | IMF | 65.7% | High but lower than other estimates |
| Inflation Rate | Research Paper | 500% | Extreme scenario reflecting currency collapse |
| Acute Food Insecurity | UN | 24.6 million | Over 50% of population |
Labor Market Dynamics and Employment Shifts
| Indicator | Pre-Conflict | During Conflict (2025) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Unemployment Rate | 7.53% (2022) | 55.7% (Jan 2025) | [5,6] |
| Full-Time Wage Earners | 36.6% urban HHs | Halved to 15.6% | [7] |
| Heads of Household with No Income | 1.6% | 18% | [5,7] |
| Self-Employed Household Heads | 22.5% | 39.4% | [7] |
| Services Sector Employment | N/A | -40.5% (2.3 million jobs lost) | [1] |
| Agrifood System Employment | N/A | Halved (extreme scenario) | [1] |
Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis Indicators
| Category | Figure (2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Internally Displaced Persons | 11.58M (Jan 2025) | IOM DTM |
| IDPs (Aug 2025) | 9.82M | Trend of returnees |
| Cross-Border Displaced Persons | 3.7M (March 2025) | UNHCR estimate |
| Returnees | ~2.25M | Primarily to Aj Jazirah and Khartoum |
| Total Displaced Population | Over 12M | Includes both IDPs and cross-border displacement |
| Population Facing Food Insecurity | 24.6M | Over 50% of total population |
| People Without Healthcare Access | 15M | Collapse of health system |
| Children Deprived of Schooling | 19M | Over 10,000 schools closed |
Humanitarian Sector Job Profiles and Compensation
| Job Title/Role | Organization | Location | Grade / Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Operations Associate | IOM | Port Sudan | G-6 |
| Deputy Medical Coordinator | MSF Holland | Port Sudan | N/A |
| Project Support (Civil Engineering) | IOM | El-Gadarif | Non-staff hourly |
| Associate Logistics Officer | UNISFA | Abyei | P-2 (International) |
| Infection Prevention & Control Supervisor | MSF | Khartoum | Local, USD 1,755/month |
Analysis
• Extreme Wage Disparities
The data underscore a bifurcated labor market: a small international elite enjoys high global-standard compensation, while local staff operate in low-wage, high-risk conditions.
• Implications for Recruitment and Hiring
This dual compensation system highlights the structural challenge of recruiting skilled local labor. Employers must navigate an environment where incentives are uneven and the majority of potential candidates have limited access to formal income sources, while international hires dominate the limited formal employment landscape.
• Strategic Considerations
To bridge these gaps, organizations may consider hybrid engagement strategies, combining remote diaspora contributions, local capacity-building programs, and humanitarian employment to sustain operations and address acute skills shortages.
This compensation overview emphasizes that Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is defined not only by scarcity of opportunities but also by profound inequities, creating a parallel economy that separates international staff from the everyday realities of the Sudanese population.
6. Outlook and Strategic Recommendations
The labor market in Sudan in 2025 presents a stark portrait of systemic collapse and enduring instability. Far beyond temporary contraction, employment structures have been fundamentally dismantled, reflecting a broader societal and economic breakdown. The combination of prolonged conflict, mass displacement, and the near-total erosion of public services has reshaped hiring and recruitment into a narrowly defined, survival-oriented landscape.
Long-Term Human Capital Degradation
• Educational Collapse and Skill Gaps
The closure of over 10,000 schools and the deprivation of education for approximately 19 million children signal not a short-term disruption but a long-term crisis in human capital formation. This cohort of youth is at risk of entering adulthood without foundational literacy, numeracy, or vocational skills, producing a demographic deficit that will severely constrain Sudan’s post-conflict economic recovery and workforce development.
• Implications for Employment
The lack of formal education translates directly into a scarcity of qualified candidates for both humanitarian and private-sector roles. Even if stability is restored, Sudan will face a structural skills shortage that limits recruitment options and undermines economic regeneration.
Strategic Recommendations
• Prioritize and Fund the Humanitarian Sector
The humanitarian and development sector remains the principal provider of formal employment. Urgent scaling of the 2025 response plan, currently funded at only 23 percent, is critical. Increased investment would not only enhance aid delivery but also provide stable employment and operational continuity for displaced populations. Funding priorities should include logistics, medical care, infrastructure repair, and administrative support.
• Strengthen Capacity Building for Local Staff
Agencies must implement comprehensive training programs that empower local employees beyond immediate emergency response. Critical skills include digital literacy, vocational expertise, project management, and leadership training. These programs will enable local staff to transition effectively into broader economic roles once post-conflict reconstruction begins, creating a resilient and adaptable workforce.
• Support and Formalize the Informal Economy
With private-sector hiring severely constrained, the informal economy functions as the primary livelihood source. Strategic interventions should focus on improving access to microfinance, reducing administrative burdens, and providing training for small-scale enterprises. Strengthening informal networks ensures income stability and lays the groundwork for a transition to a formalized economic framework when conditions allow.
• Invest in Innovative Education Solutions
Given the scale of educational disruption, digital and remote learning platforms represent a crucial mitigation strategy. Investments in technology-enabled learning can reach millions of children and young adults, preventing permanent skill erosion and fostering long-term employability. Blended education models combining remote instruction with community-based learning centers can maximize reach under conditions of insecurity.
Conclusion
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is a reflection of both the immediate humanitarian crisis and the profound long-term economic dislocation caused by conflict. Recruitment and employment trends reveal a bifurcated system dominated by international humanitarian actors and fragile informal labor, with minimal private-sector engagement. Without a decisive cessation of hostilities and a coordinated, well-funded international intervention targeting both employment and education, any meaningful recovery of the labor market will remain unattainable. The current situation signals an urgent need for multi-layered strategies addressing human capital development, economic stabilization, and structural support for both formal and informal employment channels.
Tables and Charts for Strategic Planning
Table: Strategic Recommendations and Impact on Labor Market
| Recommendation | Target Beneficiaries | Expected Outcome | Priority Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale Humanitarian Funding | Displaced populations, local staff | Increased employment, operational continuity | Critical |
| Capacity Building for Local Staff | Local humanitarian employees | Enhanced skillsets, post-conflict employability | High |
| Support Informal Economy | Micro-enterprises, self-employed | Stabilized livelihoods, bridge to formal economy | Medium |
| Innovative Education Solutions | 19M out-of-school children | Reduced skill gap, long-term human capital development | Critical |
Chart: Projected Labor Market Composition in Sudan (2025)
- Humanitarian Sector Employees: 65%
- Informal Sector Workers: 30%
- Private Sector Employees: 5%
This overview emphasizes that Sudan’s employment landscape in 2025 is defined not solely by scarcity of opportunities but by deep structural inequities. Effective intervention requires a holistic approach that simultaneously addresses immediate humanitarian needs, human capital development, and the underlying vulnerabilities of both formal and informal labor systems.
Conclusion
The state of hiring and recruitment in Sudan in 2025 represents a unique and unprecedented labor market scenario, shaped by a combination of prolonged armed conflict, large-scale displacement, economic collapse, and the near-total degradation of public services. Unlike conventional labor markets, where recruitment is driven by organizational growth, market demand, and strategic workforce planning, Sudan’s employment landscape has been forced into a survival mode, reflecting the broader humanitarian and economic crises facing the nation.
Formal employment has nearly vanished, with the national unemployment rate soaring to alarming levels and the majority of urban households losing full-time wage earners. Traditional private-sector roles have all but disappeared, leaving only fragmented and highly localized economic activity. The informal economy has become the default source of livelihood, absorbing millions of displaced and unemployed workers, but this sector is marked by extreme precarity, limited financial access, high tax burdens, and low sustainability. Consequently, the informal sector functions more as a mechanism for day-to-day survival than a structured pathway for career development.
The humanitarian and development sector has emerged as the dominant engine of formal employment in Sudan. International organizations operating across logistics, medical care, infrastructure rehabilitation, and civil support are the primary recruiters, with specialized positions for international staff and low-wage roles for local employees. This duality has created a parallel labor economy characterized by extreme disparities in compensation and access to opportunity. Local staff are heavily reliant on these organizations not only for income but for engagement in structured professional roles, while the majority of Sudanese remain cut off from formal recruitment channels.
Displacement and the collapse of essential services have further exacerbated labor market instability. With over 12 million people displaced, 24.6 million facing acute food insecurity, and 19 million children deprived of schooling, Sudan’s human capital is experiencing profound and long-term deterioration. The resulting skill gaps threaten the nation’s post-conflict economic recovery, as the population emerging from this crisis may lack the foundational education, vocational skills, and professional experience required to rebuild a functional labor market. This dynamic signals not just a temporary disruption, but a generational challenge that will influence recruitment and workforce development for years to come.
The role of digital platforms and recruitment networks, such as 9cv9 Job Portal and 9cv9 Recruitment Agency, offers limited relief. These channels primarily serve the mobile, educated, and diaspora communities, enabling access to humanitarian, logistics, IT, and remote work opportunities. However, widespread infrastructure instability, unreliable electricity, and limited internet connectivity prevent the majority of Sudanese from participating, creating further inequality in access to employment. The diaspora has been able to secure high-paying remote roles, underscoring the widening economic divide and the potential for long-term “brain drain” from the country.
Strategically, the path to stabilizing Sudan’s labor market requires coordinated international intervention, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and innovative solutions to support both formal and informal employment. Prioritizing the funding of humanitarian operations will sustain the few remaining formal employment opportunities while providing stability for displaced populations. Capacity-building programs for local staff are critical to equip Sudanese professionals with skills that are transferable to post-conflict economic recovery. Strengthening the informal sector through access to finance and simplified regulatory frameworks can provide immediate income stability while laying the groundwork for a more formalized economic system in the future. Investment in digital and remote learning platforms is equally essential to prevent a permanent erosion of human capital and to mitigate the looming skills gap.
In conclusion, Sudan’s hiring and recruitment environment in 2025 is not merely a reflection of economic contraction but a stark illustration of the broader societal collapse and humanitarian emergency. The labor market has been fundamentally restructured, with formal employment limited to the humanitarian sector, informal work dominating survival strategies, and private-sector engagement virtually nonexistent. Without a sustained, well-funded, and multi-dimensional response by international stakeholders, policymakers, and humanitarian agencies, the prospects for meaningful employment recovery remain bleak. The current trends in recruitment and employment provide not only insight into economic stress but also a critical warning of long-term societal and workforce challenges. For organizations, policymakers, and international actors, understanding these dynamics is essential for developing effective interventions, mitigating human capital losses, and creating pathways toward a more resilient and equitable labor market in Sudan.
This conclusion underscores the urgency for immediate action while offering a framework for both short-term stabilization and long-term reconstruction, highlighting the intrinsic link between humanitarian response, workforce development, and national economic recovery.
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People Also Ask
What is the current state of the labor market in Sudan in 2025?
Sudan’s labor market in 2025 is largely collapsed, with high unemployment, limited formal jobs, and most opportunities confined to the humanitarian sector.
What is the unemployment rate in Sudan in 2025?
The national unemployment rate has surged to approximately 55.7% due to conflict, displacement, and economic collapse.
Which sectors are most affected by job losses in Sudan?
The services and agrifood sectors are most affected, with services losing over 2.3 million jobs and agriculture employment halved under extreme conflict scenarios.
What role does the informal economy play in Sudan’s employment?
The informal economy is the primary source of livelihood, absorbing displaced and unemployed workers through self-employment and small-scale enterprises.
Are there any formal employment opportunities available in Sudan?
Yes, formal employment is largely limited to international humanitarian organizations and NGOs operating in logistics, healthcare, and civil support.
Which organizations are the largest employers in Sudan’s humanitarian sector?
UNICEF, IOM, Médecins Sans Frontières, and other international NGOs dominate formal recruitment in Sudan.
What types of jobs are most in demand in Sudan’s humanitarian sector?
Highly specialized roles in logistics, supply chain management, healthcare, civil engineering, and project support are most in demand.
How does displacement affect the labor market in Sudan?
Displacement creates a mobile and unpredictable workforce, limiting reliable recruitment and forcing many into informal work or humanitarian aid roles.
What is the impact of school closures on Sudan’s future workforce?
With over 19 million children out of school, Sudan faces a long-term skills gap that threatens post-conflict economic recovery.
How has the private sector been affected by the conflict?
Many private businesses have closed or downsized, particularly in urban centers, reducing formal employment opportunities dramatically.
What are typical salaries for humanitarian roles in Sudan?
International staff may earn $82,000–$111,000 annually, while local staff roles often pay $1,755 per month, highlighting extreme disparities.
How does inflation impact employment in Sudan?
Hyperinflation, potentially exceeding 500%, erodes wages, undermines purchasing power, and forces workers into informal or survival-based roles.
What role does remote work play for Sudanese professionals?
The diaspora accesses higher-paying remote jobs, creating a financial lifeline but also contributing to brain drain from the local workforce.
Are digital job portals effective in Sudan?
Platforms like 9cv9 Job Portal and international sites provide opportunities, but limited electricity and connectivity hinder access for most citizens.
How has the conflict affected agricultural employment?
Agriculture employment has been halved in extreme conflict scenarios, reducing production of staple crops like sorghum and millet.
What is the outlook for private-sector hiring in Sudan?
Private-sector hiring remains minimal due to conflict, economic instability, and militarization of critical supply chains.
How can local staff improve their employment prospects?
Skills training in digital literacy, project management, and vocational fields can enhance employability in both humanitarian and post-conflict sectors.
What is the significance of the humanitarian sector for Sudan’s economy?
It is the largest remaining source of formal employment and a stabilizing force for displaced populations and vulnerable communities.
Are informal businesses sustainable in Sudan?
Informal enterprises are often precarious, with limited access to finance and high failure rates, but they remain essential for daily survival.
How does displacement affect recruitment for NGOs?
High mobility and insecurity make it difficult to hire and retain local staff, creating reliance on international and temporary personnel.
What are the main barriers to formal employment in Sudan?
Conflict, infrastructure collapse, inflation, displacement, and education disruption prevent sustainable formal sector employment.
How are wages affected by the dual economy in Sudan?
International staff earn significantly more than local workers, creating disparities and a workforce divided between high-earning expatriates and underpaid locals.
What long-term challenges does Sudan face in rebuilding its labor market?
Skills gaps, disrupted education, weakened private sector, and ongoing displacement hinder post-conflict workforce reconstruction.
How can the informal economy be supported?
Improving access to microfinance, simplifying taxation, and providing vocational training can strengthen informal livelihoods.
What role does the diaspora play in Sudan’s labor market?
The diaspora accesses remote work, provides financial support to families, and mitigates some economic hardship, but may exacerbate local talent loss.
Are humanitarian jobs available to Sudanese nationals?
Yes, but positions are often low-wage or support roles, while specialized jobs are typically reserved for international staff.
How has the collapse of services impacted urban employment?
Urban employment in services dropped by over 40%, affecting millions and leaving many households without stable income.
What is the relationship between food insecurity and employment?
Agricultural disruption and job losses increase food insecurity, creating a cycle of vulnerability for displaced and unemployed populations.
What are strategic priorities to improve employment in Sudan?
Increasing humanitarian funding, supporting local capacity-building, strengthening the informal economy, and investing in remote education are key priorities.
Can Sudan recover its workforce after the conflict?
Recovery is possible but requires comprehensive international support, skills development, and investment in education and infrastructure to rebuild human capital.
Sources
Taylor & Francis Online
Migration Policy Institute
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
World Bank
Food Security Information Network
The Global Economy
United Nations Development Programme
International Organization for Migration Sudan
Sudan Career
UN Talent
UN News
International Monetary Fund
ResearchGate
Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM)
International Food Policy Research Institute
UNICEF Careers
DevNetJobs
ZipRecruiter
Himalayas.app
