BUSINESSAfrica at the ILERA Regional Congress

Some of the Issues highlighted Include;

• Impact felt by the labour market due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Workplaces closed temporarily while others stopped leading to a decline in earnings and income.
• Impact not only felt in Africa but also globally. In 2020, Africa working hours declined by 7.7% whereas globally it declined by 8.8%.
• The Covid-19 Pandemic not only brought an economic crisis but a health crisis too. The rise of morbidity and death cases reduced the human capital, health workers being at the forefront.
• The containment measures led to scaling down and even closure of businesses resulting in lower productivity and underperformance of businesses.

 
BUSINESSAfrica proposal on the future for Africa to move forward
"The role of employers in the recovery and proper functioning of the employment and labour markets across the continent cannot be overemphasised. BUSINESSAfrica will continue to champion policies that will enhance the competitiveness and productivity of Africa's labour market" stated Mr Obiro.
 

• Currently, Africa has 2% of the adult population vaccinated. Employers should champion Covid-19 vaccinations, especially for workers in the service sector providing customer-facing services
• Skills mismatch has been a huge problem in the region. With laid-off workers from industries that may take time to recover i.e., hospitality and tourism, the call for skills upgrade is to be hearkened to now more than ever. This will enable job seekers to remain relevant in an ever-changing competitive labour market.
• Governments of regional economic communities should strive to unlock barriers to the free movement of people and labour within those communities.
• An emerging need is the Unemployment Insurance Relief Fund that can act as a cushion for laid-off workers. Discussions on the matter continue to be held in a bid to spur productivity and have resilient enterprises.
• African economies need to pursue sound economic policies to narrow the already high fiscal deficit. Our economies should support investment in the private sector in order to achieve broad-based economic growth for employment creation.