13 000 temporary job for census

The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has kicked off a recruitment campaign aimed at filling over 13 000 temporary positions for the upcoming 2023 Population And Housing Census.

The agency plans to employ census field staff, including enumerators, enumeration supervisors, data clerks, and information technology field technicians, to ensure the smooth execution of the census.

This crucial national survey is scheduled to begin on 18 September. Originally slated for 2021, the census has been postponed twice.

“These temporary roles will provide a unique opportunity for citizens to contribute to a crucial national project, while gaining valuable experience and skills,” NSA chief executive officer and statistician general Alex Shimuafeni said.

As of 16 May, the NSA has successfully completed the recruitment process for 38 office-based positions. These positions include statisticians, application programmers, junior legal advisers, administrative assistants, system administrators, web developers, publicity officers and payroll administrators.

“The office is currently finalising this recruitment process in terms of selection, contracting, onboarding and deployment of successful candidates to their workstations,” Shimuafeni said.

So far, NSA also successfully recruited 14 regional human resources officers who have since started their duties at the the NSA head office in Windhoek.

Meanwhile, NSA has advertised recruitment opportunities for various positions related to the census. The deadline for census IT positions is 19 June, while the deadline for census data collection positions is 30 June.

To support the project, the NSA has been granted a budget allocation of N$706 million to enable it to implement an effective data collection strategy and provide adequate resources to temporary staff members.

One significant aspect of the preparations involves transportation logistics. A total of 2 837 vehicles will be utilised throughout the census project. All the vehicles will be sourced from private individuals for the designated census period.Detailed information on how interested individuals can apply and contribute to this significant undertaking is available through the advertised recruitment process in the media. Shimuafeni warned the public to be wary of scams and said no other links would be used for the recruitment of census staff.

“The nation should take note that the application process will take place through our website and no other links, including scams, will be used for recruitment of census staff,” Shimuafeni said.

NEED FOR UPDATED STATS

Shimuafeni further highlighted the importance of accurate data as the foundation for making informed decisions.

“NSA recognises that accurate and reliable data are the foundation of informed decision-making. Therefore, we encourage all eligible individuals who are passionate about serving their nation to be part of this historic national project,” Shimuafeni said.

The need for current statistics was emphasised earlier this year by Sangheon Lee, the director of employment policy at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Lee said the lack of recent data inhibits meaningful engagement and poses a significant hurdle for policymakers, researchers and stakeholders seeking to address socio-economic challenges effectively. Lee, who was part of an ILO delegation to Namibia in February, expressed concern over the limited availability of statistics.

“We are very worried that we don’t have any statistics for us to engage more meaningfully.

That is one priority for all of us to work well together,” Lee said.

The upcoming 2023 Population And Housing Census marks a crucial milestone in filling this data gap.

The last major information collection exercise conducted by NSA was the 2011 Population and Housing Census, the third national census conducted in Namibia since the country’s independence. The previous censuses took place in 1991 and 2001, in accordance with United Nations recommendations to have a census every 10 years.