By adopting prescribed practices, government and employers can make a difference to create a more efficient and cost-effective job-seeking environment, benefitting both businesses and job-seekers.
Executive director in the labour, industrial relations and employment- creation ministry Lydia Indombo said government, through the ministry, launched the Namibia Integrated Employment Information System (NIEIS) to facilitate the job-matching process.
NIEIS is a platform designed to collect, store and update essential information on job-seekers, vacancies, employers, training opportunities, specialised skills and qualifications within the Namibian labour market.
The system simplifies the job-hunting process by providing a centralised database, offering real-time updates and enabling profile management.
By leveraging this platform, the government aims to streamline the employment process, and reduce the barriers job-seekers face.
Responding to New Eraqueries, Indombo added that to alleviate the financial burden on job-seekers, both the government and employers can play significant roles.
In this regard, government provides digital access to spaces such as libraries and government offices. This way, job- seekers can reduce costs associated
with data for online job searches.
Government has also set up public computer terminals in strategic locations, where job-seekers can access NIEIS and other job portals without incurring much transport costs.
Indombo added: “The ministry’s head office is located in the location between Khomasdal and Katutura, and all job-seekers can walk to the office if they live in the nearby suburbs. Job-seekers residing in other towns can access services at the ministerial labour office in the regions”.
She said employers’ contributions can be in the form of online applications.
“Encouraging employers to accept online applications through NIEIS or their websites can reduce the need for printed copies and physical submissions,” she stated.
Promoting virtual interviews can help job-seekers save on transport costs.
“These measures can significantly lower the financial burden on job- seekers, and make the process more accessible.”
In addition, employers can contribute to making the job-seeking process more affordable by participating in job fairs, thus reducing travel costs, providing clear job listings that are detailed and informative so that job-seekers can properly assess if they qualify before applying, thus reducing the time and resources spent on unsuitable applications and actively using the NIEIS.
Employers can do this to post vacancies and manage applications to streamline the process for them and job-seekers.
“Employers can benefit from a large pool of registered job-seekers, while job-seekers have a single platform to find relevant opportunities,” Indombo added.
According to ministerial figures, Namibia’s highest unemployment rate of 51.2% was recorded in 2008, while 2012 recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 27.4%.
The last labour force survey was conducted in 2018, which recorded an official unemployment rate of 33.4%, while it is estimated that youth unemployment had surpassed the astronomical 45% mark.
However, local employment prospects are picking up as domestic economic activity continues to recover on the back of rising commodity prices, specifically uranium, copper and gold, coupled with thousands of job expectations from promising oil and green hydrogen industries.
Despite economic growth slowly picking up, with gross domestic product projected to increase by about 3.7% this year, some analysts warn that economic activity is only approaching pre-Covid levels.
Meanwhile, the little growth experienced thus far is slowing down, mainly due to the persistent drought and weakening global demand for minerals having adversely affected the country’s export-driven sectors.
However, there is hope on the horizon, as the gross domestic product growth is forecasted to rebound to 4.1% in 2025.
With this, more job-seekers hope to get a taste of economic rebound.
Earlier this year, labour, industrial relations and employment-creation minister Utoni Nujoma said about 200 000 job-seekers are registered on the NIEIS. The minister shared this figure at the inauguration of the fourth Employment Services Board in April.
At the event, he admitted the country is experiencing daunting labour market challenges, among them being the shocking youth unemployment number.
“At the moment, about 200 000 job- seekers are registered in the NIEIS, of whom the majority are finding it difficult to be absorbed into the Namibian labour market due to limited available job opportunities. Where there are job opportunities, the majority of these job-seekers have no minimum skills and experience required by employers. The youth are looking to us for solutions to these problems and more concretely for jobs,” said Nujoma.
Since its establishment, the NIEIS has successfully connected thousands of individuals with various organisations, demonstrating its effectiveness as a job-matching platform.