As the world commemorated Workers’ Day on Wednesday, labour experts agree that Namibia’s wait-and-see approach, hoping for a panacea for the country’s unemployment woes, the lack of data to make effective decisions and a laissez-faires approach to finding solutions are to blame for the precarious state of unemployment in the country.

The government’s available data shows the overwhelming majority of working Namibians do not earn enough to make a dignified living. 

Herbert Jauch said rather than being proactive and pragmatic in employment-creation, those at the forefront of dealing with the challenge have been working “in the hope of letting see if some big investment comes to Namibia and will solve these unemployment problems.” According to him, this approach delays immediately solving issues that largely affect Namibia.

He referred to the figures around green hydrogen as exhibit A.

“Certain sectors must be identified where a large number of jobs can be created and promoted through developmental interventions. Housing could have been one where a lot of jobs can be created over a long period,”
 Jauch said, adding that another sector that looks promising could be the renewables sector like solar energy.

 “The reason I am mentioning housing is that the figures of the government show that 300 000 housing units are needed. If you create value chains around that - building materials, housing construction and everything else - you will create a large number of jobs for many years. It’s interventions like these that will address the unemployment crisis, or at least make a huge dent in it.”

He noted that every year, thousands of Namibians enter the job market, but only a few of them are absorbed, meaning unemployment is growing all the time.

“Even among those who find jobs, the wages are often extremely low. Based on the latest figures we have, 75% of employed people earn N$1 500 or less per month, according to the Human Development Report 2020. When you look at the cost of living, those figures are extremely low, and do not allow people to lead a decent life.” Jauch said the population
statistics have confirmed the youthful population, with that group largely affected by unemployment. 

Additionally, he indicated that an issue that exists in the country is the tendency of employers not caring to provide decent working conditions, especially for semi-skilled workers, and what they get is, “If you are not happy, go; there are others who are willing to do the job.”

Another expert is Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) director Mike Akuupa, who said the employment context has changed, with various trends emerging.

He, however, is deeply worried about the lack of data.

“The last Labour Force Survey conducted was six years ago, meaning we don’t know the types of skills we have and need. Certainly, the institutions of higher education have been graduating students, and most of them seem to end up in the streets,” Akuupa lamented.

The researcher added that at least the three million population is known, but the most crucial piece of information would be the labour force in Namibia.

“We don’t know how many men and women are in the labour force. There is a dire need for the Labour Act to be reformed; the world of labour has significantly changed,” he noted.

LaRRI has also referred to the African Continental Free Trade Area, saying the project does not have a labour provision.

Independent Patriots for Change spokesperson Rudolf Kahingunga stated that significant challenges face the workforce, encompassing massive inequality, rampant unemployment, unsafe working conditions and persistent exploitation
through practices like retrenchment, outsourcing and labour hire, most notably in critical sectors such as mining.

“An alarming number of our youth face a future marred by crime and vulnerability, instead of opportunity and security. The stark reality is that despite our rich lands, the wealth of Namibia remains in the hands of a few,” he added. Kahingunga said: “Our commitment extends to the improvement of working conditions across all sectors, with special focus on those often overlooked: the farmworkers, domestic workers and security guards, who form the backbone of our everyday lives.”

White-collar 

The Namibian Labour Market Outlook indicated that the most demanded (white- collar professional) occupations in 2017–2023 in Namibia are primary education teachers, secondary education teachers (formal education), accountants, professional nurses and midwives, health professionals
and business professionals. 

The outlook further indicates that the Namibian economy has the highest demand for technical occupations in vacancies such as bricklayers, plasterers, builders and auto- mechanics when looking at the absolute values of technicians versus white-collar occupations.

The theme of this year’s Workers’ Day was ‘Namibia Workers United for Economic Growth and Development in the Year of Expectations and Beyond.’

In a statement released this week, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said the day symbolises the struggle and the achievements of the working class globally.

It is “a day that resonates deeply with our collective commitment to advancing the rights and conditions of workers everywhere.”

ILO continued: “This year, our celebration of Labour Day has a sense of urgency for renewed commitment to social justice, as we navigate through the complexities of our time, including climate change and the rapid evolution of the workplace due to technological advancements.”

-  psiririka@nepc.com.na