The Gambia Priority Employment Programme (Gamjobs) recently held a one-day validation workshop on the development of a framework for the establishment of a labour market and poverty information system in the country.
In his statement at the forum held at the Atlantic Hotel in
She however added: "But the complexities of the market makes it nearly impossible for all or even the most relevant information to be generated and made available through normal market transactions."
PS Gaye added that it has been realised that government must play a major role to ensure there is a public labour market information system which produces reliable and relevant information.
"Labour market information (LMI) needs to be disseminated in user-friendly ways to increase the likelihood of improving the efficiency of markets," she said.
Mrs Gaye noted that the framework of a LMI is to examine the critical need for government intervention to build and maintain an optimal labour market information system.
She said labour market information includes any quantitative or qualitative information and intelligence on the labour market that can assist labour market agents in making informed plans, choices and decisions related to business requirements, career planning and preparation, education and training offerings, job search hiring and workforce investment strategies.
The Gambian government, she noted further, formulated the national employment policy and the National Action Plan to address the acute unemployment and underemployment problems in the country, especially among the youth and women.
"The policy and action plan was subjected to a performance review initiated by the Government through the UNDP-sponsored Gambia Priority Employment Programme GAMJOBs to identify achievements, shortcomings, constraints, challenges and recommend solutions," she said, adding: "It is against this backdrop that the labour market information system is being developed.
"One of the main strategies for the realization of the National Employment Policy objections is the promotion of a well-educated, trained, skilled and self-reliant and enterprising labour force with a view to increasing employment, especially for the youth and women."
