Zimbabwe to import skills

Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE could soon be importing skilled labour in various fields due to the significant widening of the skills gap.
Historically, the country was known for its strong human capital base buttressed by a strong academic and education system.
However, a decline in education standards compounded by high levels of brain drain over the past decade have eroded those gains.
Key indicators in respect of learning outcomes and the learning environment reflect the decline.
Presenting the 2010 National Budget, Finance Minister Tendai Biti noted that fewer than 20 percent Ordinary Level candidates obtained a pass in 2009, while only 50 percent of registered students in 2009 managed to write examinations.
With regard to the learning environment, statistics show that 8 percent of dropouts in the country were children aged between six and 17 years.
At least 26 percent of primary classrooms are in need of repairs, 555 primary and 399 secondary schools have no desks, and perhaps more telling is the fact that 24 percent of teachers in the country are unqualified.
A research study done by Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd last year showed that skills flight was a major challenge for the country due to relatively more attractive remuneration packages prevailing in the region and internationally.
IPC managing consultant Mr Memory Nguwi indicated that human skill deficiency in the country was being worsened by constrained training capacities within organisations and local educational institutions.
“Some organisations are not training at all, thereby impacting on the ability of organisations to increase capacity utilisation in the medium to long term. According to the respondents there is still a shortage of skilled personnel, especially artisans.
“If strategies are not put in place to address training issues there will be a huge skills gap in a few years’ time. Zimbabwe might end up employing expatriate skills in areas where we used to have an over-supply of skills.
“Take, for example, mining engineering, the University of Zimbabwe has not been training people in metallurgy (due to shortage of teaching staff), which means very soon we will be needing expatriates in these areas and many other technical areas,” he said.
According to the research, remuneration issues presented the biggest challenge for human resources professionals during the period and predictions for the outlook period are that the trend will continue.
In terms of the remuneration challenge, respondents noted persistence in what they termed a “Zimbabwe dollar mentality”.
They noted that most employees are still thinking of huge percentage increases when negotiating for salaries as was the case during the hyperinflation era and have not changed their mindsets since the advent of the multi-currency system.
One respondent noted that “weaning employees from yesteryear belief that salary increases should be above 100 percent when inflation and cost of living is at 5 percent and US$500 respectively” remained a challenge.
Respondents also noted that the demand by trade unions for unrealistic minimum wages that are far above regional norms will make the economy uncompetitive and render most employees jobless as companies resort to retrenchments in order to remain afloat.
“The fact that most companies sometimes pay salaries late and in some instances go for months without paying salaries should sound warning bells to trade unions still demanding higher wages not in line with productivity,” said Mr Nguwi.]