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(DAILY MAIL ZM) Re-establishment of public employment services on cards

Re-establishment of public employment services on cards
September 6, 2012
By NANCY MWAPE

GOVERNMENT will next year re-establish public employment services to address unemployment in Zambia that still remains a challenge. Minister of Labour and Social Security Fackson Shamenda says Government is working on a number of interventions to address unemployment in the country.

“Indeed, unemployment still remains a challenge in Zambia; we are still faced with a large informal sector with little or no decent working conditions,” he said.
Speaking at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) annual reception held in Lusaka on Tuesday night, Mr Shamenda said Government will also implement apprenticeship or internship programmes in collaboration with employers’ organisations.

He said the Ministry of Finance and Youth and Sport are leading the development of youth empowerment schemes while the Labour Ministry together with other partners is leading the development of the 2012 – 2015 decent work country programme.

Mr Shamenda said his ministry is working with the central statistical office to conduct the 2012 labour force survey on baseline data for assessing performance scheduled to commence in two weeks’ time.

He said the ministry will also put in place an overarching employment promotion strategy to replace the national employment and labour market policy that has been in place since 2005 but was not implemented.

“Government will remain true to its word. What we have done in the past eleven months is in line with the party manifesto.

Working with FES and the International Labour Organisation, we have engaged a consultant who will work on a roadmap on comprehensive labour laws,” he said.

Mr Shamenda said it is common knowledge that when the PF took over the country, it had fairly good economic indicators in terms of inflation rates and growth but noted that the social situation in the country at the time left much to be desired, which was manifested by very high unemployment, underemployment levels and rampant abuse of workers’ rights.

He also commended FES for its contribution made over the years in the areas of capacity building for labour administration and general governance.

Earlier, FES resident director Heiner Naumann cited civic education, research in socio-economic matters, support of trade unions, small scale industries and democratic organisations as part of the institution’s areas of support.

Mr Naumann said FES believes in a principal functioning of Zambian democracy adding that the fight against corruption, decent conditions of work and the empowering of underprivileged groups of the society are a great concern.

Labels: FACKSON SHAMENDA, JOBS, LABOUR, UNEMPLOYMENT

posted by MrK @ 2:22 PM