OVER 77,000 JOBS CREATED IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2011

Mozambican Labour Minister Helena Taipo has announced that 77,128 new jobs were created during the first half of this year.Taipo was speaking during the closing ceremony of the Coordinating Council of the Labour Ministry which took place from 21 to 22 July in the town of Songo, in the western province of Tete,According to the minister, the government is working hard to bring down unemployment in the country.She pointed out that in the province of Tete, the mining companies - most of which are involved in the extraction of coal and base metals - have generated about 14,000 new jobs. About 8,000 jobs were taken by locals, 2,500 by workers from other provinces, and the remainder by foreign citizensTaipo stated that the largest challenge facing her ministry is speeding up professional training. She pointed out that to tackle the country’s skills shortage the Ministry now keeps a register to match unemployed skilled workers with employers.The minister stressed that her government wants to see the mining companies investing in a qualified labour force that can add value to the companies’ activities, saying that “we hope that the Tete Vocational Training Centre, now under rehabilitation, will be a strategic partner for the mining companies”.The minister also pointed out that earlier this year the government had completed the country’s programme for “Decent Work”, which aim to put a human face to the work carried out by Mozambicans.In February Taipo explained that the concept of “decent work” refers to the right for all to have “the opportunity of employment, respect for workers’ rights, access to social protection and safety at work, as well as non-discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS”.There is an enormous potential for employment in Tete province in the mining sector, directly associated activities such as transport, and indirect economic activities such as shops and hotels.During a recent conference on Mozambican coal, held in Maputo, Rajat Kohli of Standard Bank said that he estimates that “about 100 million tonnes per annum of coal could be produced within the next five years, and that figure could even go further”.