Matching the mismatching skills gap by Onyi Nwaneri .
Matching the mismatching skills gap by Onyi Nwaneri .
ACCORDING TO THE GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS INDEX FOR 2017-2018 , AS REPORTED BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM , SOUTH AFRICA RANKED 61ST OUT OF 137 COUNTRIES IN TERMS OF ITS ABILITY TO DEVELOP , ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT . SOUTH AFRICA FACES SEVERAL ECONOMIC AND LABOUR MARKET CONTEXTUAL ISSUES THAT IMPACT ITS OVERALL DEVELOPMENT AND STABILITY . ALSO , THE WORLD BANK FORECASTED THAT SOUTH AFRICA ’ S ECONOMIC GROWTH HAS BEEN SLUGGISH , AVERAGING AROUND 1 % ANNUALLY OVER RECENT YEARS . FACTORS SUCH AS POLICY UNCERTAINTY , CORRUPTION , INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS HAVE HAMPERED PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT AND STIFLED ECONOMIC EXPANSION . INSUFFICIENT PROGRESS IN STRUCTURAL REFORMS AND ADDRESSING GOVERNANCE ISSUES HAVE ALSO IMPACTED THE CONFIDENCE OF INVESTORS . IN ADDITION , SOUTH AFRICA HAS A COMPLEX LABOUR MARKET REGULATORY FRAMEWORK , WHICH INCLUDES MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION , COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND STRICT LABOUR MARKET ENTRY AND EXIT REGULATIONS . WHILE THESE MANDATES AIM TO PROTECT WORKERS ’ RIGHTS AND PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE , THEY CAN ALSO CREATE BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT , ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND LOW-SKILLED WORKERS . THIS RESULT IS EXACERBATED IN AN ERA WHERE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND AUTOMATION ARE GRADUALLY TRANSFORMING THE NATURE OF WORK . THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ’ S LATEST “ FUTURE OF JOBS ” REPORT SHOWS THAT 23 % OF ALL JOBS GLOBALLY WILL CHANGE BY 2027 , NOTING THAT JOB LOSSES ARE SET TO OUTPACE GROWTH IN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SHORT-TERM . ACCORDING TO THE REPORT , THE ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND INCREASED DIGITAL ACCESS WILL RESULT IN AN ANTICIPATED 69 MILLION NEW JOBS BEING CREATED AND 83 MILLION JOBS BEING ELIMINATED . POINTEDLY , AFRIKA TIKKUN ’ S GROUP CEO , DR . ONYI NWANERI , UNDERSCORES THE URGENCY FOR WORKERS TO PROACTIVELY UPSKILL THEMSELVES TO MEET THE EVOLVING DEMANDS OF THE JOB MARKET . IN 2023 , AFRIKA TIKKUN , IN COLLABORATION WITH MICROSOFT , HOSTED BUSINESS LEADERS FROM SOUTH AFRICA ’ S LARGEST CORPORATIONS WHERE THE COUNTRY ’ S UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM AND SKILLS MISMATCH WERE FURTHER PROBED AND UNPACKED . DURING THE DIALOGUE , HELD UNDER THE THEME “ SKILLS GAP , YOUTH EMPLOYABILITY AND EMPLOYMENT ”, INDUSTRY LEADERS ALSO IDENTIFIED A CRITICAL ISSUE THAT IS HINDERING PROGRESS IN SOUTH AFRICA ’ S SKILL DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM : A LACK OF COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND THOSE WHO PROVIDE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SKILLS . THEY WARNED THAT THIS LACK OF COLLABORATION IS ALLOWING THE SKILLS GAP TO GROW WIDER . THE CONSENSUS AMONG INDUSTRY PLAYERS IS THAT HARNESSING THE POWER OF SUPPLY CHAIN INTERACTIONS AND INDUSTRY-WIDE COLLABORATION IS PARAMOUNT IN ADDRESSING THE PRESSING SKILLS GAP CHALLENGES FACED BY THE NATION . THEY ALSO COMMITTED TO TACKLING EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES AS A COLLECTIVE . “