Labour Market Information System(LMIS)

Labour Market Information System (LMIS)
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has started the process of strengthening its labour market information System. LMIS is  a simply mechanism for capturing, processing, storing, analysing and disseminating Labour market information for career, business and policy decision -making. LMI is data about the supply and demand for labour in the labour market


Why  Government  intends to  invest in the strengthening of  LMIS

  • It’s a role of Government to ensure availability of reliable and relevant information, and that LMI is disseminated in user friendly ways to increase the likelihood of improving the efficiency of markets. In addition to collecting relevant data, public agencies have a key role in transforming facts about economic activity into useful labour market intelligence.
  • The complexities of the current Zambian labour market require large-scale activities and partnerships to develop and operate an optimal LMI system. Therefore, Government investment in LMI could improve labour market performance through a better matching of skills and employment opportunities. Improved matches can yield spill over benefits. With an increase in the speed and quality of job matches, output increases, the economy grows, and additional job opportunities created

 

  • Lack of access to quality LMI creates inefficiencies in job search and matching, and in longer term career planning and preparation hence creating unemployment.
  • Globalization has increased the importance of efficient labour markets for Zambia to effectively compete in the international marketplace. Labour market information provides the labour market  intelligence essential for  companies to enhance their competiveness.

 

  • LMI is in large part as a public good this is because the use of LMI by one economic agent does not diminish its value for another. It is also difficult to measure the value of LMI in both monetary cost and future or downstream impacts. This feature of non exclusion in consumption reduces incentives for private production and leads to an undersupply of LMI.

 

LMIS- Situation analysis in Zambia

  • Weak structural mechanisms to link policy practice with movements in the labour market.
  • Limited human resource capacity and instruments to effectively and regularly collect, process, analyse and disseminate relevant and reliable LMI;
  • Inability of users to identify needs and to translate these needs to producers of LMI;
  • Inability to combine information from various sources and particularly the failure to incorporate data collection exercises into the national framework; and
  • Inability of producers to coordinate efforts or share information

 

Major outputs of  MLSS intended plans on the LMIS

  • Development of an online Job Portal click
  • Online database of National Occupational Classification
  • Online database of all learning and Education institutions
  • National Establishment database/ register.
  • An LMIS website containing all labour related data
  • Improved institutional and human resources capacity to collect, analyse and disseminate LMI.
  • An  effective coordination and collaboration among producers and users of LMI

 

LMIS data features

Labour force data
Unemployment figures
Employment trends
Labour force participation rate etc
See 2008 labour force survey report click

 

Labour demand side

  • Occupation classification data
  • Vacancies
  • Wages statistics
  • Labour productivity
  • Birth and death of companies
  • Redundancies
  • Job projections
  • Skill gap

 Labour Supply side

  • Information on training/ academic programs
  • Skills data
  • Number of graduates produced in various fields per year
  • Number of higher education institutions

Other Administrative data collected by all major producers of LMI

  • Labour inspections
  • Union representation
  • Data from Occupation Associations

 

Expected Beneficiaries

 

  1. Government Officials.

 

Labour market information plays a major role in some of the more important decisions made in the economy. For example, at the broadest level, data on unemployment rates may lead to policy or program changes, since these data are one of the major signals of the health of the economy. Unemployment rates and employment growth may trigger changes in tax rates and structures, investment decisions, and fiscal or monetary policy.

  1. Individuals

 

Almost all of the assorted data sets in an LMI system are relevant to supporting career planning and preparation. These include information about occupational characteristics including skill requirements, work activities, knowledge, abilities, the outlook for job growth, and likely earnings.

  • Private Sector

 

Businesses make major decisions about recruitment and hiring, work processes, products and services to be provided, location, expansion, wages and compensation, and training and upgrading of employee skills. For example, business maybe interested in existing and future labour supply, and the capability of the education and training system to prepare individuals for some of the skills needed for new positions.

   4. Education and training institutions.

Ideally LMI should play a major role in the education and training system in several respects including

    • program offerings,
    • curriculum improvement, and
    • Access to career information and career education.

   5. Researchers and evaluators.

  • These are prime users of LMI. For example, studies evaluating the effectiveness of employment programs must control for labour market conditions using LMI data to yield estimates that can be compared across time periods and geographic regions.

 

  6. Intermediaries

  •  Teachers prepare individuals for core and specific skills, LMI can help them link the classroom lessons to world of work.

 

  • Parents influence their children or youths in career or training decision making despite the fact that they sometimes know little about the market place and future opportunities.  LMI may help parent better understand labour market operations.

Our Core Functions

Social Security Department

The Social Security Department is headed by a Director and has two functional Sections, each supervised by a Principal Social Security Officer.  

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Labour Department

The Department of Labour is headed by a Labour Commissioner with three (3) functional Sections namely; Employment, Industrial Relations and Inspections.
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Planning Department

The Planning and Research Unit is headed by a Chief Planner and has two functional Sections, each supervised by a Principal Planner.
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Occpational Health and Safety

As Zambia seeks to improve the well-being of its people through development,    there are however hazards that come about and affect the health of workers, the community and the general environment. 
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Human Resource Department

The Department of HRA is headed by a Director and has two functional Sections and a Unit, namely: Human Resources and Administration, and Accounts Unit.
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National Productivity Development

The Department is headed by a Director and has three Sections, namely: Productivity and Quality Improvement, Occupational Assessment, and Productivity Measurement and Monitoring
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Contact Us







Our Contact Info

Ministry of Labour and Social Security, New Government Complex, Independence Avenue, P.O. Box 32186, Lusaka, Zambia. Tel: +260-211-221432, Fax: +260-211-225169, Web-Site: www.mlss.gov.zm, E-Mail: mlss@mlss.gov.zm

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REVISED STATUTORY INSTRUMENT

Statutory Instrument (SI) - The Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment Act. Click below to view detailed SI documentation.