Q3 of 2023 sees steady employment in Zim’s manufac...

Q3 of 2023 sees steady employment in Zim’s manufacturing and mining

Audrey Galawu

At least 70.7 percent in the manufacturing and mining sectors, reported their firms’ total employment as having remained unchanged during third quarter 2023.

According to a report based on a Business Tendency Survey by the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency obtained from respondents of 440 manufacturing companies and 103 mining companies, most manufacturing sub-sectors had more than 50 percent of the respondents anticipating the employment level to remain the same in fourth quarter 2023.

More than 50% of the respondents in the manufacturing sub-sectors reported that they are expecting the employment level to remain the same in the fourth quarter 2023.

About 73.9% in the mining sector do not expect any change in total employment during the next quarter.

In the manufacturing sector, 25.3% of the respondents showed more optimism towards the general business climate for third quarter 2023.

“In the mining sector, 23.9 percent were of the same view. About 45.2% of respondents in the manufacturing sector viewed production levels over the third quarter 2023 as having remained unchanged, while 22.4% were of the opinion that the levels had increased.

“For the mining sector, 45.7% of the respondents had the perception that production levels had remained the same over third quarter 2023.

“About 43% of respondents in the manufacturing sector are expecting an increase in production levels during the fourth quarter 2023.

“About 78 and 73% of the respondents in the repairs and other Manufacturing products sub-sectors respectively, have the perception that the production level would remain unchanged over the fourth quarter, while about 27% and 20% of those in non-metallic and Paper and printing and other manufactured products sub-sectors, respectively, are expecting a decrease in production level,” reads the report

In the mining sector, 50 percent of respondents are not anticipating change in production levels during the fourth quarter 2023.

Meanwhile, in terms of changes in selling prices towards the fourth quarter, 64.3% of respondents in the manufacturing and 53.3% in the mining sector, are anticipating prices to remain unchanged.