South Sudan to discourage recruitment of foreign workers
April 24, 2013 (JUBA)- South Sudan would take measures to discourage the recruitment of foreigners and push to hire nationals as youth unemployment is growing in the new nation.
The Labour ministry on Wednesday said it will be scrutinising employment resumes of foreign workers in the country serving with international relief organisations, businesses and those doing consultancy either for public institutions, enterprises or individual establishments, allegedly to streamline and encourage employment of its youth.
The statement comes following an address to the national parliament Tuesday by President Salva Kiir Mayardit in which he strongly criticized mushrooming of foreign nationals across the country working at all sectors, generating strong sentiments amongst unemployed youth.
If implemented, the move, critics say, will see more youth filling jobs previously held by foreign nationals predominantly from neighbouring countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Eritrea.
President Kiir expressed disappointment over the recruitment of foreigners even in manual and unskilled jobs notably cleaning service, selling items on the streets (hawking), driving etc.
“We do not need foreigners to work as housekeepers, washerwomen, drivers, gardeners and shopkeepers. These jobs should be filled by our own people, who badly need work”, Kiir told lawmakers in a speech also broadcast twice by the state owned South Sudan Television (SSTV).
He directed that “foreign firms and international organisations must be obliged to employ South Sudanese in all jobs which do not require special skills that our work force cannot supply”.
Speaking on the same issue, Acting Minister of Labour and Public Service, Kwong Danhier Gatluak said the ministry had agreed with the national ministry of interior to scrutinize resume of foreign nationals wanting to come into the country for working purpose at all level in sectors.
“We are working on a plan aiming at how to streamline this influx of the foreign nationals. We have decided to work together with ministry of interior and foreign affairs to see into that resumes of those foreign nationals are properly scrutinized before being hired and only after finding that work could not be done by our people due to technicalities”, Gatluak explained in a statement.
(ST)