‘Correct data vital in labour ministry’

Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary Wezi Kayira says correct data is vital for government to make informed decisions.

He said this on Saturday in Mzuzu during a two-day training for labour officers and National Statistical Office (NSO) officials from the Northern Region on Employment Data Collection as part of the ministry’s drive to creating more job opportunities.

Kayira said the high unemployment figures in the country may be as a result of lack of proper documentation of employment opportunities in both formal and informal sectors.

He said his ministry relies on surveys conducted periodically, thereby, putting the ministry at risk of using outdated information.

“For example, we use the Labour Force Survey which is conducted every five years. The information is not exact and is sometimes outdated because the surveys’ interval is too long,” said Kayira.

He said that after the training, officers will collect data as frequently as possible so that the ministry updates its employment data bank annually.

One of the participants, Lusekero Mkisi, from Chitipa Labour Office, said the knowledge and skills acquired will help his office generate trustworthy data which can be used in policy development, among others.

“It is hard to know who are in formal or informal employment and sometimes due to these challenges someone can get employed by several employers,” he said.