Distribution of employment across economic sectors — tracking the structural shift from subsistence agriculture to services and formal employment.
Georgia's employment structure reflects an economy in transition from agrarian to service-based. The agriculture share has fallen dramatically — from 55% in 2004 to 33% in 2023 — but remains far higher than EU averages (4%). The services sector, at 44%, is the largest employer and the primary source of formal job creation. Industry and construction together account for 23%, with construction particularly volatile.
Georgia's sectoral employment structure tells the story of an incomplete economic transition. The fall in agricultural employment from 55% (2004) to 33% (2023) is significant — but the destination sector matters enormously. Workers leaving subsistence agriculture ideally move into formal, productive, higher-wage employment in services or industry. Georgia's experience is mixed: some have moved into formal services (ICT, financial services, professional services — paying GEL 2,000-4,000/month); many more have moved into informal services (retail, hospitality, domestic work — paying GEL 600-1,000/month).
The ICT sector — at 3% of employment — punches far above its weight in economic terms, contributing approximately 8% of GDP and growing at 22% annually. This sector creates the highest-wage formal jobs (average GEL 3,800/month) but employs relatively few workers. Scaling ICT employment from 52,000 to 150,000 by 2030 — the trajectory of Estonia's success — would transform Georgia's wage structure.
Georgia's employment structure is shifting in the right direction — away from subsistence agriculture, toward services and industry — but the quality of the transition matters as much as the direction. Moving from subsistence farming to informal urban services represents geographic relocation, not economic advancement. GILS advocates for a sector employment quality agenda: not just more formal jobs, but better formal jobs — with training, career progression, and wages above the living wage.
ICT is Georgia's highest-wage, fastest-growing sector but limited by talent supply. State co-funded intensive retraining: 6-month coding bootcamp (GEL 4,500 cost, 80% state-funded) + employer placement commitment. Target: 2,500 graduates/year from 2025. Each placed ICT worker adds GEL 120K/year in taxable wages. Net fiscal positive within 3 years.
Estonia (Kood/Jõhvi — 1,000 developers/year) · Georgia GITA (expand) · Poland tech talent programmeSubsistence farmers cannot be 'activated' into formal employment without an economic foundation. Programme: (1) cooperative formation support (MoA) — 5,000 cooperatives by 2027; (2) agri-processing investment grants (GEL 50K-200K) — 500 facilities; (3) agricultural logistics infrastructure — cold chain and market access. Target: 100,000 subsistence farmers transitioned to market agriculture or formal rural employment.
Georgia Produce in Georgia (expand to agriculture) · Moldova (agri-cooperative programme) · EU ENPARD GeorgiaConstruction at 7% of employment has the highest informality rate (65%) and accident rate. Two interventions: (1) mandatory electronic payroll for all construction contracts above GEL 50K (LIS verification); (2) construction skills certification — all workers on state-funded projects must hold certified qualification. Creates 40,000 formal construction jobs within 2 years.
Ukraine (construction e-payroll) · Germany (construction skills licensing) · Georgia LIS (scale enforcement)Hospitality/tourism at 4% of employment growing rapidly post-COVID. High informality, low wages (avg GEL 780/month). ESDC hospitality skills programme: 3-month accredited training in partnership with industry associations; employer co-fund (50%); 'Quality Tourism Employer' certification for hotels/restaurants above living wage. Target: 15,000 upskilled workers, avg wage increase GEL 200/month.
Georgia (Tourism Strategy 2025) · Croatia (tourism workforce upskilling) · ILO hospitality sector programmeNo real-time sector employment data available. Geostat to publish sector employment breakdown quarterly (currently annual only), with 60-day lag. Enable: monitoring of structural transformation pace; early identification of sector shocks; targeted ALMP response. Cost: minimal (methodology exists; publication frequency change only).
Eurostat sector employment statistics · Estonia (quarterly sector LFS) · ILO ILOSTAT| ILO Convention | Subject | Ratified | Compliance | Key Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C122 | Employment Policy | 1993 | Partial | No sectoral employment strategy; structural transformation unmanaged |
| C142 | Human Resources Development | 1993 | Partial | VET system misaligned with sector demand; employer engagement weak |
| C184 | Safety and Health in Agriculture | Not ratified | n/a | No specific OSH protections for 568,000 agricultural workers |