Labour to fast-track gender in workplace

Jo-Maré DuddyThe ministry of labour, industrial relations and employment creation, with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has embarked on a three-year programme to mainstream gender in the key areas of its work, minister Erkki Nghimtina said Tuesday.Motivating his budget vote in parliament, Nghimtina said “the struggle to achieve equal opportunities in employment has borne some fruit”.According to the latest annual report by the Employment Equity Commission (EEC), based on 877 affirmative action reports, nearly 47% of the workforce in 2016/17 was women. Only 20% of all executive directors were women. A third of senior management were women, and about 47% of middle management. Nearly 48% of specialised or supervisory positions were filled by women and nearly 49% of the skilled workforce was female.Nghimtina said a training course for 15 facilitators has been completed. They will conduct a gender audit of the ministry and its programmes.“The audit will lay the basis for several gender-responsive programmes, including stakeholder training and instituting measures to mainstream gender-awareness programmes in the implementation of the National Employment Policy and the labour market generally,” he said.“For Namibia to develop her human resources it has to be informed and guided by its needs,” he continued.PensionNghimtina said the ministry has been conducting vocational counselling sessions and school talks to inform students to make good career choices. “Making a good career choice enhances one's employability and entrepreneurship opportunities while propelling innovation in the labour market,” he said.The ministry has also been working with the Social Security Commission (SSC) to put the national pension fund into operation. Nghimtina said the fund will have to cover all employees at an affordable rate, including those who are in the informal economy and self-employed. The final modalities and preference method of contributions are currently discussed by the SSC, he said.“It is this ministry's conviction that any Namibian who has held a decent job in his/her lifetime should be able to live a decent life beyond the scope of work,” Nghimtina said.

Labour to fast-track gender in workplace

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-29

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Labour to ­fast-track gender in workplace

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-29

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Labour to fast-track gender in workplace

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