Zambia: The Search for Quality Jobs

Martin Clemensson

Employer Organizations’ have important role to play in promoting social justice and human rights in the world of work. It is for this reason that the ILO recognizes the need to have strong Employers representation to ensure they add value to their member enterprises and meet their representation, advocacy and service delivery needs.

Let me make quick reference to the world employment and social outlook trends, which are shaping the thinking around employment now. The latest reports highlight that trade liberalization and investments in infrastructure and education have long regarded as the key drivers of economic development.

However, this approach has failed to address the vulnerable economic growth patterns typically found in many developing countries, with raising youth unemployment including among university graduates as witnessed in Lusaka last week and growing income inequalities.

The report provides evidence that “strategies which focus on promoting decent work opportunities tend to yield sustained development results.”
There are very few countries that have managed to improve economic growth without correspondingly increasing the quality of jobs. Economic growth that goes hand in hand with improved decent work outcome is generally more sustainable.

Whereas the Zambian economy has witnessed a steady growth over the last decade, averaging 6.4 per cent, this has not been met with a corresponding increase in the number of jobs created over the same period, which has averaged 2 per cent per year. A number of factors contribute to this, chief among them being that the primary source of growth for the Zambian economy is the mining sector, which is a highly capital intensive sector and there are few linkages between this capital intensive sector with the domestic economy there is not enough local content.

The goal in today’s market is to promote more and better jobs, which consequently leads to development. A number of questions, however, need to be addressed to attain this result. For instance, “How does decent work interact with the economic and investment policies that are needed to achieve economic and human development?” “What makes employment policies and social protection successful in developing countries?” “To what extent can the gains from development be shared fairly while maintaining enterprises dynamism?” and importantly, “What is the role of labour standards in this respect?”

These are pertinent questions that need informed answers. And it is in the answering of these questions that we as ILO advocate for the spirit of tripartism, effective dialogue, rights at work and employment creation, in order to achieve economic development that leaves no one behind.
And it is discussion around these issues that ZFE can make its contribution in the shaping of the development discourse in Zambia more so as Zambia and the rest of the world are moving closer to the post 2015 development agenda.

How Can ILO Support ZFE Achieve Its Objective?

Creating enabling conditions for social Dialogue is key to the work of the ILO. We encourage tripartism within Member states by promoting social dialogue to help design and implement national policies. Achieving fair terms of employment, decent working conditions, and development for the benefits of all, cannot be achieved without the joint active involvement of workers, employers and governments.

Our role is to support Governments, employers` and workers` organization to establish sound labour relations, adapt labour laws to meet changing economic and social needs, and improve labour administration.

For example, the Government of Zambia made the request to review the labour code in 2011 when the patriotic Front Government came into power and ILO is still committed to the cause although progress has been stalled
The ILO is committed to help the Government, the employers` and the workers` organization to establish sound labour relations, adapt labour laws to changing economic and social circumstances, and improve labour administration. In supporting and reinforcing employers` and workers` organizations, the ILO will assist, through the provision of technical assistance expertise and capacity development, to create the condition for effective dialogue among the tripartite partners.