Online Reporter
Judith Phiri
THE country’s 48 National Employment Councils (NECs) must urgently reinvent themselves from conventional dispute-resolution bodies into agile, tech-driven institutions if they are to remain relevant in a rapidly transforming economy, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Mercy Dinha has said.
She made the call while addressing delegates at the 2025 NECs Symposium in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
Deputy Minister Dinha said Zimbabwe’s labour institutions are at a crossroads and must evolve in line with global trends, including digitalisation, climate change and demographic shifts, to support the country’s journey towards an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
“We live in a world where traditional employment models are being disrupted by digital technology, climate change, globalisation and shifting demographic patterns. Against this backdrop, NECs must evolve from conventional dispute-resolution platforms into dynamic, future-ready institutions capable of guiding industrial harmony and productivity in a complex world,” she said.
The two-day symposium, under the theme: “Building Resilient NECs in a Rapidly Changing Environment and the Future of Work Towards Vision 2030,” brought together key stakeholders to reimagine how employment councils can influence productivity, economic transformation, and decent work.
As Zimbabwe transitions from the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) to NDS2, the deputy minister said the Government is determined to build a responsive labour market that embraces innovation, data and inclusion.
“We need to ensure that our NECs become the vanguards of decent work, social justice and economic transformation. Together, we can shape a resilient, inclusive, and prosperous Zimbabwe ready for the future of work and firmly on the path to achieving Vision 2030,” she said.
Central to this transformation is the rollout of the Labour Market Information System (LMIS), a digital platform designed to provide real-time labour statistics, identify skills gaps, inform collective bargaining agreements, and align human capital with sectoral needs.
Deputy Minister Dinha said LMIS enhances transparency and aligns labour with emerging economic trends. She said in today’s world, data is a critical currency, hence NECs, employers and workers need access to accurate and timely information to plan effectively and negotiate in good faith.
“LMIS platform will also enable better coordination between training institutions and labour market demands, ensuring that our human capital is effectively aligned with economic transformation.
LMIS supports the Human Capital Development and Innovation Pillar of NDS1, and it will serve as a backbone for policy coherence as we move into NDS2,” she said.
She urged NECs to adopt case management systems to speed up dispute resolution, train staff in ICT and data analytics and migrate consultations to online platforms for broader participation.
Deputy Minister Dinha said NECs must modernise to accommodate flexible work arrangements, the gig economy and e-commerce and remain inclusive by promoting youth and women’s participation in labour governance.
“Technology is revolutionising how people work, what jobs exist and how services are delivered, while automation, artificial intelligence and e-commerce are transforming every sector,” she said.
Deputy Minister Dinha reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to capacitating NECs, with policy development, digital systems and technical support as part of its long-term labour reform agenda.
Mr Nomore Nhema, chairperson of the NECs Coordinating Committee, echoed the urgency of reinvention, saying councils must shift from static operations to dynamic, impact-driven systems that contribute visibly to national goals.
“Socio-economic factors such as the growing informal sectors and shrinkage of formal employment among other things, require us as NECs to re-examine the way we do business. Resilience entails strategic adaptability, emotional intelligence (EQ), risk management, contingency planning and sustainability as well as agility,” he said.
Mr Nhema said NECs did not operate in a vacuum and must desire to align their operations with the national vision, while the 2025 NECs Symposium sought to focus on mechanisms to align and or realign with the vision.
Mr Nhema said the symposium also aims to interrogate how NECs can improve wage determination strategies, navigate inflation and craft collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that reflect Zimbabwe’s socio-economic context.
“The key questions are obviously the metrics to track and to be confident that the NECs are contributing to the achievement of the national vision and to what extent. Exploring innovative employment strategies is also critical to create jobs and achieve economic development,” he said.
