More than 200 000 formal jobs have been created between
November 2017 and the end of last month boosting employment by 20 percent
backed by 235 000 more now earning in the informal sector.
Further, 86 new inward investments and new employers were
registered in 2018 and 2019, indicating keenness of investors to take up
opportunities in Zimbabwe following the removal by the Second Republic of
investment bottlenecks.
Of the new formal jobs, agriculture had the highest growth
rate in employment in line with Government’s efforts to boost productivity to
achieve food self-sufficiency and boost exports, followed by construction and
the energy sector.
Agriculture saw its employment total rise 41 percent,
construction saw 40 percent more jobs and energy 37 percent more.
The creation of more jobs dovetails with Government and
Zanu PF’s policy of “jobs, jobs, jobs”, to improve the people’s living
standards.
Yesterday, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social
Welfare Professor Paul Mavima, Minister of Industry and Commerce Dr Sekai
Nzenza and Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises
Development Dr Sithembiso Nyoni briefed Cabinet on job creation trends in all
sectors.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister
Monica Mutsvangwa said that the 212 573 jobs were created despite a plethora of
challenges including foreign currency shortages, currency volatility as well as
natural calamities such as droughts, cyclones and Covid-19.
She said the formal employment figures increased from 1 083
823 in 2017 to 1 296 396 at the end of last month according to data from the
National Social Security Authority (NSSA), which tracks formal employment.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have become an equally
important employment driver since the advent of the Second Republic led by
President Mnangagwa.
In the SMEs sector, 235 635 jobs were created, with the
majority of jobs (22 percent) in agriculture, forestry and fishing sector,
retail trade (21 percent), manufacturing (15 percent), mining (9 percent) and
education (8 percent).
Minister Mutsvangwa said in terms of investments, 86 new
investments and new employers were registered between 2018 and 2019.
“Forty of the businesses were in the commerce sector and 34
in fabricated metal products and machinery. Regarding retrenchments, the
statistics from the Retrenchment Board show a declining trend since the advent
of the Second Republic.
“In 2017, 4 493 workers were laid off, whereas 1 668 lost
their jobs in 2018 and 1 461 in 2019. By the end of June 2020, a total of 638
workers had been laid off,” she said. Herald
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