The high unemployment rate in this country is no secret.

In fact the LaRRI estimate is quite possibly a conservative one, since the two-year study was fairly wide-ranging, and not specific to unemployment, sampling some 586 workers on a range of issues, including employment conditions, gender issues, union members and experiences with labour inspectors, among others.

LaRRI concluded that the unemployment rate was up by some eight per cent since the last Labour Force Survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour in 1997.

The labour market study by LaRRI in 2002-2003 was undertaken in order to complement the findings of the Ministry's survey by examining worker experiences and views.

Among the LaRRI findings were the following:
* that the Namibian labour market is characterised by a young age structure as over half the population was younger than 25 years of age;
* that overall high levels of unemployment, with a national average of 34 per cent, are especially felt among women (40 per cent) and the youth (over 60 per cent);
* that agriculture, the public service and service industries were Namibia's dominant sectors in terms of employment while mining and manufacturing accounted for relatively few jobs;
* Namibia's labour market itself shows stable levels, with a high level of permanency in employment;
* bonus pay, medical aid, social security and housing benefits were the most common benefits enjoyed by Namibian workers in addition to basic salaries;
* Spiralling unemployment, particularly in a country like Namibia which provides no financial cushion for those who are jobless, is undoubtedly one of the greatest concerns in Namibia today.

And although the LaRRI study pointed out that there were huge levels of inequality regarding wages and benefits in the labour market itself, and that workers generally believed job performance did not influence promotions and salary increases, and that there are other problems, such as lack of training, among the employed workforce, nevertheless one can deduce from this assessment that it is the unemployment problem which should be addressed as a matter of urgent priority.

The survey was wide-ranging in its scope, and so the unemployment problem has been somewhat subverted because of the generality of the labour market study itself, focussing as it did on those already employed, rather than those who are not.

And even though workers rights remain a very important issue which is deserving of attention and remedial action where necessary, we cannot escape the fact that unless unemployment as a problem in itself is tackled, the situation in Namibia regarding workers' rights is not going to be resolved.

We have, on previous occasions, identified unemployment as a crucial issue, for Namibia's stability and ultimately, even, for the wellbeing of our democracy, for we cannot afford complacency when the figures are that high.

Perhaps we need to be once again updated on unemployment itself, and/or the achievements of government in this regard, if any.

If, as LaRRI maintains, there has been an increase since the last survey in 1997, then it would seem to indicate that little has effectively been done to stem the tide of jobless in this country, women and the youth in particular.

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