05 Jun 2019

Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) has developed a labour market portal that will provide a one-stop shop for employment trends. 

The Labour Market Information System (LMIS) as explained by the HRDC research analyst, Mr Kgomotso Waditshwene will assist in the identification of the rate of skills and job vacancy mismatches, educational attainment and illiteracy.

“LMIS is an information system and an active labour market policy instrument that collects, analyses, monitors and captures labour market information such as labour indicators and data,” he said during the HRDC workshop on June 3.

Mr Waditshwene explained that the system was still at the Statement of User Requirement (SOUR) elicitation stage and was expected to be in service at the beginning of September. 

He said LMIS would benefit employers as they will have timely and accurate information about the labour market for investment purposes. 

Moreover, he asserted that the scheme would enable new business setups as investors would have timely information on the availability of a skilled labour force.

The research analyst noted that the website would address issues of skills mismatch, which include the relevance of the curriculum to the needs of the labour market and effective internship to make graduates ready for work.

“LMIS will facilitate effective institutional preparation and inform education planning and institutional as well as student financing,” he added. 

HRDC manager for Statistics and Observatories, Ms Masego Mokubung encouraged employers and job seekers to take advantage of the Botswana Labour Market Observatory (LMO) employment exchange service. 

She explained that LMO was a platform that monitored, and reported on labour market patterns and trends.

Ms Mokubung said the initiative brought employers and job seekers together as it allowed employers to post vacancies free of charge, while job seekers react by submitting their credentials and applying online.

She said it was important for both the employer and the job seeker to first register on the website in order to make possible the employment trade service. 

For his part, the HRDC manager for Business Information Systems, Mr Tapologo Hadebe said LMIS SOUR elicitation was essential as it helped in the collection requirements from different stakeholders regarding the website project.

He said it was critical to collect information from stakeholders as their input was crucial.  

“We want you to have ownership from the onset.

We are engaging with the people that will use this website so that they are not left behind,” he added. 

Business advisor, Mr Outlwile Ebutswe from the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) advised that data and information should be regionalised by district, local or national level. 

He said the system should support and promote indigenous skills and knowledge; including creative industries. ENDS