EAC to carry out worker’s survey
The Monitor, Kampala
EAC to Carry Out Worker’s Survey
5 August 2008
By Martin Luther Oketch
The East African Community is to conduct a regional manpower survey to establish the workforce base in the regional market ahead of coming into effect of the Common Market for East Africa in 2010.
The Common Market will usher a new trend of free mobility of skilled labour force and it is therefore important to lay ground rules based on the exact size of the labour force.
Government officials from the five EAC countries attending a three-day regional technical working group meeting at Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala argued on July 29 that evidence-based human resource development and planning is necessary to sustain the economic growth being achieved by the five EAC Partner States.
Officials also argued that it will be important to match the skills development with the manpower needs of individual countries using the survey results.
"The survey once undertaken would provide current baseline data to assist in planning, policy formulation and decision making on labour, employment creation and facilitates the expected free movement of labour in the region once the community establishes a Common Market in 2010," said the Principal Labour and EAC Employment Officer, Ms Mary Makoffu.
She said the current human resources data in the region are more than 20 years old and outdated.
Uganda’s Third Prime Minister Kirunda Kivejinja said that manpower plans should also be responsive to the national visions and perspective plans aspirations of the East African Community (EAC) Partner States.
He said in Uganda the results of the survey are urgently required to implement various government polices such as labour externalisation to such countries as the Far East and the Middle East.
State Minister for Finance Planning - General Duties, Mr Fred Omach said manpower planning is a critical factor in social transformation.
The survey results will provide a landmark reference point for assessment of progress towards targets to be set for human resources development in the next five years of the National Development Plan.
