Employment
Creating Greater Opportunities for Women and Men to Secure Decent Employment and Income
Many governments in the Southern African sub region are battling with socio-economic problems, but the most pressing of these problems is the high levels of unemployment, underemployment and the degeneration of formal employment opportunities. Although some countries in the sub-region experienced improved political and economic conditions in the 1990s, the unexpected famine and drought problems, the increased loss of jobs through privatization programmes in many of the countries has exacerbated the unemployment problems and increased poverty levels.
The informal economy in many countries acts as an employer of last resorts and has become a seedbed for employment creation for many people who cannot access formal jobs. The Micro Small and Medium Scale (MSMEs) enterprises have in many countries taken the lead in creating and maintaining employment for the youth, women and those offloaded from formal employment through retrenchment and privatisation programmes. However, although the informal economy and the Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises sector are now considered the largest creators of employment, these two sectors are characterised by very low wages, poor working conditions and do not offer any form of social security, which all translate into precarious working environment.
The MSME sector and the informal economy are increasingly subjected to low productivity and face survival problems as a result of unsupportive policies, compounded by the effects and the impact of HIV/AIDS on micro, small and medium scale businesses, with adverse -spillover effects to the informal economy.
For further information, please contact Ms. Maria MUTANDWA.
|