National Profile of Working Conditions in Mozambique
This national profile report presents a concise overview of working conditions in selected sectors of Mozambique. It is mainly drawn from ILO’s eighteen-month project (2008-2009) on “Improving Job Quality in Africa through concerted efforts by Governments, Employers and Workers”. This project was supported by Danish International Development Assistance and carried out in Mozambique and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Working conditions are key dimensions of decent and productive work. Workers place their wages, working hours, safety, and ability to accommodate their personal and family needs among their chief concerns regarding the dignity and quality of their working life. These aspects of working life are also important determinants of workplace productivity and competitiveness.
As the Economic and Social Council reported in 2007, global economic growth is increasingly failing to create the kinds of new and better jobs that can lead to a reduction in poverty.
Governments across Africa have called forcefully for action to meet these challenges. The African Union Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa (Ouagadougou, September 2004) overwhelmingly endorsed the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, which emphasizes
the creation of quality jobs. Mozambique’s poverty reduction strategy (2006-2009) and the strategy for employment and training (2006-2015) reflect this.
As a response to this pan-African initiative, the present report documents the current status of working conditions in selected sectors in Mozambique and draws attention to related policy gaps. The report first outlines the framework of labour laws and other relevant policies governing
working conditions on the mainland. It then examines actual working conditions in the informal economy and in the tourism sector, in order to identify the gaps between the aspirations embodied in the legal standards and the realities of working life. Finally, the report outlines a set of policy considerations that could be taken into account by the Government, the social partners and other interested parties. It concludes with a document adopted by a national stakeholders’ workshop held to discuss the results of the ILO project on which this report is based.
As the Economic and Social Council reported in 2007, global economic growth is increasingly failing to create the kinds of new and better jobs that can lead to a reduction in poverty.
Governments across Africa have called forcefully for action to meet these challenges. The African Union Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa (Ouagadougou, September 2004) overwhelmingly endorsed the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, which emphasizes
the creation of quality jobs. Mozambique’s poverty reduction strategy (2006-2009) and the strategy for employment and training (2006-2015) reflect this.
As a response to this pan-African initiative, the present report documents the current status of working conditions in selected sectors in Mozambique and draws attention to related policy gaps. The report first outlines the framework of labour laws and other relevant policies governing
working conditions on the mainland. It then examines actual working conditions in the informal economy and in the tourism sector, in order to identify the gaps between the aspirations embodied in the legal standards and the realities of working life. Finally, the report outlines a set of policy considerations that could be taken into account by the Government, the social partners and other interested parties. It concludes with a document adopted by a national stakeholders’ workshop held to discuss the results of the ILO project on which this report is based.