The Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation Utoni Nujoma on Thursday inaugurated the fourth Employment Service Board that will focus on addressing the needs and challenges faced by jobseekers in Namibia.
The 14-member board will be responsible for investigating and advising the Minister on the provisions of the employment services and the attainment of other objectives of the Employment Services Act.
The duties will be in addition to assisting the Minister in monitoring and analysing labour market developments concerning occupations and occupational segments including vocational training.
“The unemployment rate which stands at 45% as per statistics from 2018 and a current rate of 200,000 jobseekers in Namibia and this is due to a limited amount of available job opportunities in the country. And where there are available job opportunities, seekers have little to no experience or skills required of them by the employers. That is why, the youth are looking up to us as their representatives of the employers, trade unions and the State who are uniquely positioned to advise on workable solutions to address these challenges,” the Minister said.
The newly inaugurated Employment Service Board comprises Klaus Schade as chairperson while David IIgonda and Eite Shiponeni, who are state representatives, were reappointed.
Jessica Gawachab was also appointed, representing persons with disabilities, and Ben Tjatjara who brings specialised knowledge in labour and employment.
Other board members include Albius Mwiya, Alison Hishekwa and Herths Pomuti, whose expertise spans various disciplines relevant to labour, employment, immigration, and education.
Tangeni Shindondola, Abraham Baisako are serving on behalf of the trade unions, while Martha Abner and Diogenus Tshuuya are from the Namibia Employers Federation, with Brain Prince-Soetan representing the National Youth Council.
