In recent years, Mozambique has been hit hard by events with a major impact on society, originating in phenomena at global scale, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, at national scale, such as the economic crisis of 2016, and at local scale, above all Cyclones Idai (Beira) and Kenneth (Cabo Delgado). All of these phenomena had a tremendous impact, culminating in public health, economic and environmental crises respectively, creating contexts of turbulence that profoundly alter the dynamics of labour supply and demand.
This article analyses the impact of the most significant national-scale crises, namely the economic crisis of 2016 and the public health crisis caused by COVID-19, on the labour market, specifically with regard to the volume of vacancies published and applications submitted.
It should be stressed that the data presented here cover only formal job vacancies advertised by recruiters who use emprego.co.mz, a publicly available and transparent recruitment portal. They therefore represent a sample which, although small, is reliable, of the vacancies available in Mozambique.
The Economic Crisis of 2016
• Vacancy and application data (2015-2016):
- In 2015, 2,147 vacancies were published, with 169,066 applications;
- In 2016, published vacancies fell to 1,768, while applications rose to 285,058.
The fall in vacancies and the increase in applications indicate greater competitiveness in the labour market. The number of candidates per vacancy rose dramatically, by 205%, reflecting the scarcity of formal opportunities.
The economic crisis of 2016 had a direct impact on labour dynamics. Since then, the recession caused by the loss of international confidence and the interruption of many sources of funding has significantly affected the productive sectors, which are of great importance in job creation, the subject of this article.
The COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
• Vacancy and application data (2019-2020):
- In 2019, before the pandemic, 1,681 vacancies were published, with 302,390 applications;
- In 2020, published vacancies fell to 1,461, while applications decreased to 237,741.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a public health crisis that profoundly affected the economy and the labour market. With social isolation and restrictions, many sectors were paralysed, resulting in a fall in job opportunities.
The samples of the types of crisis analysed confirm the trend towards a negative impact on employability when these events occur, generating labour dynamics characterised by high competitiveness and a scarcity of formal jobs.
Regardless of the nature of the crisis, there is a tendency for the period in which it takes place to correlate with a deterioration in labour dynamics. One of the causes of this scenario is that the context of uncertainty affects investor confidence and the creation of new job opportunities.
Indeed, the number of vacancies published on emprego.co.mz fell, accompanied by a reduction in the volume of applications. However, considering that the crisis changed the nature of the vacancies, increasing the need for professional profiles adapted to the new reality created by the pandemic, we can regard the volume of applications as significant.
Digital platforms such as emprego.co.mz play a fundamental role, providing crucial data that bring out the facts, thereby making it possible to analyse the causes and evaluate solutions that allow better preparation for tackling crises.
