Logistics has largest number of skilled workers - study
Logistics includes an array of activities beyond transportation, including warehousing, brokerage, express delivery, and critical infrastructure services such as terminals.
What you need to know:
- The study, which was commissioned by Fredrich Ebert Stiftung, also indicated that logistics is followed by manufacturing at 71 percent.
A study has found that the logistics sector has the highest portion of skilled workers.
The sector, which scored 89.7 percent , was above any other.
The study, which was commissioned by Fredrich Ebert Stiftung, also indicated that logistics is followed by manufacturing at 71 percent.
Presenting the findings in Kampala at the weekend, Mr Ramathan Ggoobi, the Ministry of Finance permanent secretary and secretary to the Treasury, said at 44 percent agro-processing had the lowest proportion of skilled workers while semi-skilled workers stood at at 22 percent in the sector.
The study, according to Mr Ggoobi also found that large firms - at 73.5 percent - employ the largest portion of skilled workers compared to 74.7 percent in medium sized firms.
He said the study found that in the non-production section among surveyed firms, 26.5 percent had skills compared to 25.3 percent among medium firms, which all together translates to a combined 25.9 percent.
The study was conducted in four industrial parks, among which included Kampala Business and Industrial Park in Namave and Soroti, which are both government-owned as well as Liao Shen (Kapeka) and MMP Bikwe, which represented the privately owned parks.
By July, Mr Ggoobi said the Kampala Business and Industrial Park, which is expected to host 339 companies, had 71 fully operational while 146 firms are currently under construction.
“A total of 339 firms are expected to be located in [Kampala Business and Industrial Park]. In Soroti, only three firms were operational and another eight under construction and at different stages. The Kapeeka (Liao Shen had 14 fully operational firms and another two under construction. It plans to host a total of 80 firms at full capacity,” he said.
Inadequate skills continue to present a number of challenges to Ugandans.
The study also found that a number of firms had indicated that they deemed oral and written communication, interpersonal skills, literacy and numeracy, and personal health and hygiene, among others as important skills in their working spaces.
Need for skilling
According to the study, 16 percent of interviewed companies had shown the need for communications skills while 13 percent preferred interpersonal skills.
Thirteen percent want literacy and numeracy skills, while 10 per cent want improvements in personal health and hygiene skills. Uganda’s labour market continues to suffer with inefficient skils.
