The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation recorded a total of 4,844 job losses, impacting 311 employers, across various sectors during the three quarters of the 2023-2024 financial year.
The Ministry noted that the statistics comprise only of retrenchments that are reported to the Office of the Labour Commissioner in terms of Section 34 of the Labour Act, 2007 (Act No. 11 of 2007), hence un-notified retrenchments have not been recorded.
“Similarly, these are mere intent to retrench; as reported by employers and do not reflect the actual retrenchments, as employers are not obliged to report to the Labour Commissioner the actual retrenchments,” the Ministry’s Executive Director, Lydia Indombo told The Brief.
“In 2023, the labour market faced numerous significant challenges. The aviation, transport, logistics, and storage; non-governmental organisations; wholesale and retail; fishing; and mining and energy sectors experienced the highest impact, with 2,778 job losses from 113 employers nationwide.”
Despite varying impacts across sectors, Indombo said the overall trend points to a challenging year for the country’s labour market, underscoring the need for targeted support and strategies to mitigate job losses and foster economic resilience.
“Therefore, these statistics indicate an interrelation of socio-economic conditions, industry-specific challenges, and shifting consumer behaviours influencing Namibia’s employment landscape,” she added.
In addition, the Executive Director said during the period of quarter 1 to quarter 3 of the current fiscal year, the Ministry addressed a total of 3,438 labour complaints regarding basic conditions of employment.
Out of this number, 2,920 complaints were successfully resolved, 164 were officially declared as disputes and subsequently referred to the Office of the Labour Commissioner for conciliation/arbitration.
354 cases are currently in progress awaiting finalisation.
“As a result of these complaints, the Ministry collected a cumulative amount of N$1,627,654.58 on behalf of affected employees and has been paid to those employees,” stated Indombo.
Among the major labour issues experienced she said were concerning non-payment of overtime worked; minimum wages especially in security and construction sectors; non-payment of work done on Sundays/Public Holidays; unauthorised and excessive deductions; non-payment of remuneration; and failures to provide/allow sick leave as stipulated in the Labour Act.
“These issues are all seen to be contraventions or non-compliance of sections within the Labour Act,” she noted.
In terms of the effectiveness of the Namibia Integrated Employment Information System, Indombo said the system performed well and a total of 3,646 vacancies, compared to 2,118 recorded in 2022, were posted or advertised on the portal creating opportunities for online recruitment.
“As a result, a total of 1,587 job seekers, as opposed to 1,226 in the previous year were recruited through the system. Thus, these insights highlight the Ministry’s commitment to managing labour issues, supporting affected individuals, and leveraging on technology for efficient recruitment within the current economic landscape,” she said.
