The 51, 2% of unemployment in Namibia as per Labour Force Survey of 2008
editUnemployment rate is defined as the level of unemployment divided by the labour force. The labour force is defined as the number of people employed plus the number of people who have no work, but who are available for work and also actively looking for work
In 2008 the Ministry of Labour conducting the labour force survey in order to find out the state of the labour force in our country. These results were made public only in March 2010, two years after the survey was carried out. With the results that Namibia had unemployment rate of 51%. This opened a huge debate where some experts where of the opinion that the unemployment rate was a lot higher then 51% and some where saying that it was lot less than indicated in the survey.[1]
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare says it has verified the results and insists there could be “no doubt” about the accuracy of the 51, 2 per cent unemployment rate for the country. But in a speech at the national employment-creation summit early this month in Windhoek, Trade and Industry Minister Dr. Hage Geingob is reported in the Namibian newspaper believing that the unemployment situation in the country is not as bad as it is being made by the finding of the 2008 Labour Force Survey. Geingob isn't alone in harbouring such doubts about the 51, 2%, nor is he the first to wonder about the accuracy of Namibia’s unemployment statistics.[2]
Martin Mwinga a Namibia economist was one of the few people who went on record to say that the official figure was erroneous and based on poor and unreliable data collection. Mwinga further questioned the methodology used by the Government statistician and revised down the unemployment rate to 28% based on his own analysis.[3]
The former head of the Labour Resources and research Institute (LARRI) Albert Jauch also acknowledged the shortcomings of the methodology used during the 2008 labour forcer survey. He says the Government should have employed international instrument used by the ILO, which the organisation introduce to Namibia [4]
References
edit- ^ Lies, Demn lies and unemployment statistics. (2011, November 18). Retrieved from http://www.namibian.com.na/letters/full-story/archive/2011/november/article/lies-da
- ^ Lies, Demn lies and unemployment statistics. (2011, November 18). Retrieved from http://www.namibian.com.na/letters/full-story/archive/2011/november/article/lies-da
- ^ Jo-mare, D. (2011, November 24). World Bank to review unemployment rate the Namibian Retrieved March 03, 2012, from http://www.namibian.com.na/news-articles/national/full-story/archive/2011/november/article/world-bank-to-review-unemployment-rate/
- ^ Jauch, H. (2010). Namibia’s Unemployment debate in perspective. Namibia & unemployment, p3-4