Chinese firms boost Zimbabwe's job market, say experts

The increasing presence of Chinese companies is boosting Zimbabwe's job market, a Zimbabwean economic analyst said Thursday.

HARARE, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The increasing presence of Chinese companies is boosting Zimbabwe's job market, a Zimbabwean economic analyst said Thursday.

Dereck Goto, an economic analyst and political commentator based in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, told Xinhua that the ever-increasing employment opportunities brought by Chinese firms, particularly in the mining sector, also mirror a wider trend of economic engagement between China and Africa.

In recent years, Zimbabwe has seen a growing number of Chinese companies that continuously place job advertisements in local media for key positions, indicating their booming interest in local talent.

"In the short term, the rise in job advertisements represents the setup phase. These firms are hiring essential technical and operational staff to establish a local presence and address immediate project needs," Goto said.

"Looking ahead, Chinese companies have the potential to become employers of choice," he said, while calling for them to invest more in localization, skills transfer and long-term talent development.

In a separate interview, Executive Director of the Southern African Research and Documentation Center Munetsi Madakufamba said that the growth in the number of Chinese companies seeking local professionals was a combination of factors, including the growing Chinese presence in the country and a response to local employment demands.

"We do need to ensure Zimbabweans have the requisite skills to fully benefit from those opportunities; we need a serious upgrading of local skills to maximize the potential," Madakufamba said. ■