18 Jul 2017

Parliament has quashed the motion calling for the establishment of a national employment agency.

At the end of the debate on the motion on Friday, the majority of MPs voted against the motion, which had been tabled by Gaborone Central MP Dr, Phenyo Butale.

The motion requested government to establish a national employment agency to spearhead job creation and ensure alignment of education with the needs of the economy.

When debating the motion earlier, Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskings Nkaigwa had said unemployment was a major cause for concern in Botswana hence the need for parliament to contribute to efforts to fight it.

MP Nkaigwa said there was indeed need for an employment agency; noting that the agency would help by among others levelling the playing field for job seekers by encouraging equal opportunities for them.

He noted also that the agency would help also in identifying and then bridging the skills gap in the country’s economy and job market through the creation of a database of available skills and qualifications.

The database, he pointed out, would lay in the open the skills possessed by locals, and thus make it easier for employers to find employees with skills suitable for the needs of their various businesses or organisations.

Thamaga-Kumakwane MP and also minister for Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo said the motion had been overtaken by events as his ministry had already set up an employment bureau.

Mr Mabeo told Parliament that the bureau was at the moment fully functional; adding that the bureau was currently collecting data from industry to input into its database.

The minister stated that the establishment of the bureau was evidence of government’s commitment towards addressing the high unemployment rate currently bedevilling the nation.

When presenting the motion a week before, Dr Butale had said despite Botswana having for years been classified as a middle-income country, unemployment had been one of the areas in which success had remained elusive.

Dr Butale had said the employment agency would help by among others, enhancing the employability of the country’s young people; as well as help prepare graduates for the world of work, and would also come in handy in matching employers with potential employees. BOPA