Swaziland+has+only+92000+workers,+Swazi+Observer+May+31

Swazi Observer May 31
=Swaziland has only 92000 workers=


 * By Mfanukhona Nkambule**

IN a population of 1.1 million, there are only 92 000 people who are employed.

These are the people who are responsible for the welfare of one million people who are not employed, including children.

The 2005 annual report of the Labour Department, under the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment seemingly confirms other reports that 69 percent of the population live below the poverty line.

The statistics were collected in 2002 and indications are that the figure might have drastically decreased because of mass retrenchments effected across the country. Last year, more than 4 000 workers lost jobs when, including lay offs, about 10 000 lost employment.

There was also no sound economic activity, resulting in lack of raw materials, price decline, competition and many more that affected economy in the past three years. The private sector employs 65 217 while the public sector employs 27 437. Government has, however, ordered civil servants who had attained the age of 55 years to apply for voluntary retirement packages.

"The average annual growth rate of private sector employment was 0.45% for the period 1996 to 2002. However, there was a significant percentage change in employment for the private sector of about 3.7% in the period 2001 to 2002," it is stated in the report.

It is further said; " In the period 1996 to 2002 public sector employment grew at an average annual growth rate of about 0.67% per annum. There was, however, a decline in employment in the public sector of about 6.6% between 2001 and 2002. Such a decline is mainly attributable to a fall in employment in the agricultural and construction sectors, which had growth rates of about -39.6% and 60.6% between 2001 and 2002 respectively. The decline in employment for such sectors is probably due to the laying off of daily paid staff, which constitutes a significant proportion of employees in such sectors in the public sectors".

There are presently over 6 000 Swazis employed in South African mines. There had been a continuous decline in the number of Swazis employed in the mines as 12 000 were working there in 1997.

On another note, it is reflected in the report that the labour statistics section is seriously understaffed and needs to be restructured as recommended by the Okutho Report 1995

395 words