Government has launched four productivity reports that are aimed at providing valuable insight on the progress made in the labour sector, while revealing critical constraints that limit the growth of productivity.
Speaking at the Launch in Lusaka, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Brenda Tambatamba, says that there is a need to adopt a productivity ecosystem that will ensure that interventions are well coordinated and mutually enforced for lasting results.
“The 2025 productivity monitoring report shows encouraging results from enterprises that have adopted productivity and quality improvement tools. These interventions have led to tangible outcomes including creation of over 1600 jobs,” she said.
Ms Tambatamba however noted the skills gap in the workforce such as limited access to finance and low adoption of technology is among barriers that have limited sustained productivity improvements.
She has since called for a strong collaboration among employers, workers, academia, including the private sector to invest in innovation, embrace continuous learning, and cultural excellence in order to generate relevant solutions.
President of the Zambia Federation of Employers, Myra Ngoma commend the government on its continued dedication and commitment towards advancing the productivity agenda.
Ms Ngoma added that productivity improvement must be treated as a national priority and a shared responsibility among government, employers, workers, educational institutions and development partners.
She called on employers to continuously invest in the development of their employees through training, mentorship, skills upgrading, and capacity building.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) representative, Gerald Tembo, highlighted that the reports will provide a strong foundation for informed policy making, social dialogue and targeted interventions that support national priorities.
Mr Tembo called on cooperating partners to actively use the findings and the recommendations that have been made to inform policy choices and investment decisions at delivering tangible improvements in workers’ lives and enterprise performance.
