Africa-Press – Namibia. MORE than 800 job seekers are expected to write an interview test this afternoon, in the hopes of scooping one of 39 cleaning positions advertised by the Omusati Regional Council on 8 October.
The vacancies are at 38 schools, including primary, combined and secondary schools in the Omusati region. The interview test will be written at 14h30 at Sakeus Iihuhua Primary School and Erkki Tauya Junior Secondary School, near Outapi.
Labour expert Herbert Jauch says the issue of 800 people being shortlisted for 39 posts confirms the huge unemployment crisis in the country. He says people are desperate to get any job, as tens of thousands are unemployed for years with little hope of finding a job.
“In short, I can point to the need for structural economic changes to bring about local manufacturing and value addition and create thousands of new jobs. This could include housing initiatives with local production of housing materials,” Jauch says.
Other interventions could be the conversion of bush biomass into school furniture and processing of agricultural goods, he added. “Continuing on the current economic path will result in worsening unemployment which affects especially young people and women,” he says.
Director of the Labour Resource and Research Institute, Michael Akuupa, says this shows just how desperate people are to secure employment. He says the unemployment rate is very high, especially for the youth which is very concerning.
“However, this instance illuminates a human resource problem in the ministry. Why on earth should 800 people be shortlisted for 39 positions? It does not make economic sense or logic,” Akuupa says.
He advised the ministry to improve requirements for cleaners’ positions in order to reduce congestion. He also says cleaning vacancies should not only consider or be reserved for school dropouts, as cleaning is a trade in sanitation just like any other skilled job.
“Those who apply must have completed some sort of vocational training in sanitation.” The economy should be restructured to relate and resonate with the job market, says Akuupa.
“Not only formal economic activities should be accounted for in national statistics but informal activities as well. Conservatively, the informal economy creates jobs for up to 60% of young Namibians. Thus it is worth considering how to harness the energy and resources in that economy,” he says.
Contacted to comment on the matter, Omusati chief regional officer Gervasius Kashindi referred The Namibian to the regional director of education, arts and culture, Benny Eiseb. However, Eiseb refused to take questions yesterday, saying that he is not authorised to talk to the media.
Two weeks ago the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation disclosed that 14 563 workers were retrenched between 1 January 2020 and 30 September this year.
The ministry says this is due to the struggling Namibian economy and the Covid-19 pandemic. Of this figure, 11 654 people lost their jobs due to economic reasons and the closure or discontinuation of businesses, while 2 909 job losses were due to Covid-19.
Most workers were retrenched last year, whereas 2 325 employees were retrenched between 1 January and 30 June this year. The hospitality and tourism sector was particularly hard hit, with 4 305 employees retrenched – the highest figure of all sectors over 20 months.
The retail and wholesale sector and the mining sector together let go of 3 193 employees. The construction and manufacturing sectors collectively retrenched 1 286 workers, and the transport and storage, as well as agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors sent home 1 133 employees.
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