ZIMBABWE NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY …

1 ZIMBABWE NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY . framework ( zinepf ). FINAL DRAFT. APRIL 2009. MINISTRY OF LABOUR & SOCIAL SERVICES, AND MINISTRY OF. youth DEVELOPMENT, INDIGENISATION & EMPOWERMENT IN. CONJUNCTION WITH ILO/SRO. Table of Contents ..iv Executive Summary .. v Part I: The Situation Analysis Introduction and Background .. 1. Rationale for the NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY framework .. 3. Socio-Economic Context .. 5. Overall Macroeconomic 5. Growth And EMPLOYMENT .. 8. Increased Informalization of the Economy .. 14. Disability .. 15. Hiv and Aids .. 15. The Brain Drain .. 16. Review Of Existing Policies and Programmes Affecting EMPLOYMENT .. 18. Review of the Economic POLICY framework .. 18. Review of the Institutional framework and Coordination Mechanism .. 21. EMPLOYMENT Strategies, Programmes, (Including Both Active and Passive Labour Market POLICY Measures) And Labour Market Information.

2 22. Education and Training .. 27. Part II: Setting Priority Policies Problem Identification .. 33. The POLICY framework .. 36. Objectives Of The POLICY .. 36. Principles Guiding The POLICY framework .. 37. Strategies Of The POLICY framework .. 38. Part III: POLICY Implementation Implementation and Institutional Arrangements .. 44. Resource Mobilisation .. 46. Monitoring And 46. Annex 1: NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY Action Plan .. 47. Annex 2: NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY Logical framework .. 53. Annex 3: NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY Implementation Matrix .. 60. Annex 4: Key Interventions / Strategies By Various Ministries And Other Stakeholders On EMPLOYMENT Creation .. 68. Annex 5: Targeted Sectors For EMPLOYMENT Creation Identified At The Stakeholders . Validation Workshop, 10 January 2009.

3 73. List of Figures Figure 1: The relationship between Real GDP and EMPLOYMENT Growth during the period 1986-2004.. 9. Figure 2: Real Average Earnings Index (1975-2004) .. 13. ii List of Tables Table 1: Performance of the ZIMBABWE Economy, Selected Economic Indicators, 1986- 05. (Periodical Annual Averages) .. 6. Table 2: Real GDP and EMPLOYMENT Growth, 1986-90, 1991-96 and 1997-2004 .. 9. Table 3: EMPLOYMENT Elasticities and GDP Growth (%), 1991-95, 1995-99 & 1999-2003 . 10. Table 4: Sectoral Distribution of EMPLOYMENT , Selected Periods, 1980-2004 .. 11. Table 5: Percentage Share of Female Employees by Formal Sector, 1980-2002 .. 12. Table 6: EMPLOYMENT Elasticities and GDP Growth (%), 1991-95, 1995-99 & 1999-2003 . World, Sub-Saharan Africa and ZIMBABWE .. 13. Table 7: Goals, Objectives and Key Result Areas of the Department of EMPLOYMENT Creation, 2006.

4 24. Table 8: Budgetary Allocations to various Ministries and interventions (%), 25. iii PREFACE. Like many other countries in the world, ZIMBABWE is faced with a daunting challenge of dealing with the scourge of unemployment and endemic poverty. This challenge is exacerbated by the current global recession, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, which started with the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the USA in August 2008. The increasing levels of global integration among nations imply that ZIMBABWE will not be spared by this crisis, especially as it relies on world markets for its primary exports. However, for ZIMBABWE , the challenge is the more formidable given the NATIONAL crisis that started in 1997, resulting in sustained negative growth since 1999. This period of economic regression coincides with the recovery of growth in most Sub-Saharan African countries, above the traditional 3 percent level.

5 As economic growth declined in ZIMBABWE , so did the labour absorptive capacity of the economy, such that by 2004 four out of every five jobs in ZIMBABWE was informalised, resulting in massive decent work deficits. It needs pointing out that even as growth rebounded at the global level, it has unfortunately not been EMPLOYMENT -intensive, implying the challenges of reducing poverty have remained formidable, and most African countries will not even be able to achieve the first Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015, notwithstanding the sustained levels of growth experienced since the mid-1990s. The persistence of social ills in a context of economic growth has resulted in the re-emergence of social objectives of achieving full EMPLOYMENT and eradicating poverty, as exemplified at the Social Summit held in Copenhagen in 1995, where world leaders reaffirmed the goal of attaining full EMPLOYMENT .

6 An integrated vision of development that incorporated both economic and social objectives as equally important. Through this NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY framework , the Government of ZIMBABWE fully recognises that productive EMPLOYMENT and decent work, especially for the youths, cannot be achieved through fragmented and isolated interventions. On the contrary, this requires sustained, determined and concerted efforts by all stakeholders, including those most affected, mainly youths, women and those living with disabilities. The leadership of the State, and the importance of coherence, coordination and cooperation across government institutions and agencies at both central and local levels, and with all stakeholders, cannot be over-emphasised. This therefore entails a paradigm shift that requires the integration of EMPLOYMENT in all POLICY frameworks, including macroeconomic and sectoral policies.

7 This NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY framework therefore seeks to provide the necessary coherent and coordinated approach that outlines supportive policies on two fronts, namely, an integrated strategy for growth, promotion of decent and productive EMPLOYMENT , and targeted interventions to help the un- and under-employed overcome the specific barriers to their entry into the labour market. It is our fervent hope and expectation that this NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY framework will help engender the necessary paradigm shift towards broad-based and inclusive pro-poor growth, thus giving greater meaning and tangible evidence of our independence. iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. ZIMBABWE faces a formidable challenge in terms of resolving the high levels of un- and under- EMPLOYMENT , and endemic poverty.

8 Even before the onset of the current crisis in 1997, the Zimbabwean economy was already experiencing serious challenges in absorbing the new entrants into the labour market, with increasingly high levels of education. This largely reflected the dual and enclave nature of the inherited economy, where the task of creating EMPLOYMENT was largely focused on the formal sector, which at independence in 1980. accounted for 20 percent of the labour force. In the absence of an explicit focus on EMPLOYMENT and poverty reduction as development goals, the erratic growth that occurred did not create sustainable EMPLOYMENT levels commensurate with labour force growth. Over time, the challenge was exacerbated by the informalisation of the economy, which was reinforced by the crisis, and will be accentuated by the global recession that started during the second half of 2008.

9 With four out of every five jobs in ZIMBABWE informal, the decent work deficits in the economy abound. As decent work deficits escalated, so did poverty, which became highly feminized. Youths aged 15-24 years constitute the bulk of the unemployed, and hence measures to deal with unemployment and poverty must take this into consideration. In the absence of an explicit EMPLOYMENT POLICY where social and economic goals are integrated consciously into the growth matrix, strategies and programmes adopted to deal with un- and under- EMPLOYMENT , and indeed poverty reduction (and its eradication) have largely failed to stem and reverse the scourge. This has been worsened by the deteriorating macroeconomic framework as a result of the crisis that emerged since 1997, the mismatch between supply of labour and its demand, in both quantity and quality, emanating in part from the supply-driven education system, which has failed to meet the specific requirements of the economy.

10 More fundamentally, the low labour absorptive capacity of the economy is linked to the failure to transform the inherited dual and enclave nature of the economy at independence, where the burden of EMPLOYMENT creation lay with the formal sector, which in 1980 accounted for only a fifth of the labour force (1 million employees or 14 percent of the population). By 2004, the share of the formal sector had declined to around 13 percent of the labour force (10 percent of the population), with an EMPLOYMENT level below that at independence. Thus, the anticipated formalization of the economy has not occurred; it is in fact the informalisation of the economy that has accelerated, with the associated decent work deficits. The development of this NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT framework is therefore an attempt at integrating social and economic goals to achieve broad-based and inclusive pro-poor growth.