Assessment of public employment services and active labour market policies in Namibia

This report is based on a mission by ILO officials to undertake an assessment of the Public Employment Service of Namibia in January/February 2017 following an invitation to the ILO by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation (MLIREC) of the Republic of Namibia to conduct an assessment and offer recommendations for the modernization of the national Public Employment Service. It examines the provision of employment services in the country by analysing the institutional, policy and legal frameworks. Policy coherence and institutional coordination emerge as the key issues. Namibia has instituted recent reforms through the enactment of the Employment Services Act in 2011, which establishes the Employment Services Board and Bureau. A range of specific recommendations are offered to the Government and constituents for the improvement of the PES. It is hoped that the implementation of these recommendations will kick start a long-term process of strengthening the employment service and ALMP provision, as part of the national strategy to address the high incidence of unemployment in Namibia, and its overarching goal of achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all.