KARACHI, Nov 12: The employment exchanges, once a major source of providing jobs to the unemployed skilled and unskilled workers, have almost ceased to function owing to lack of interest on the part of successive governments.

The Punjab and NWFP governments have already closed down the institution, while the employment exchanges in Balochistan and Sindh have been rendered inoperative, with dismal results.

The employment exchanges in Sindh are located at Landhi, Lyari, in districts central and west, Dadu, Larkana, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Naushehro Feroz, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Badin and Thatta. No employment exchange was ever set up in Ghotki and the one functioning in Umerkot was closed down following the abolition of Umerkot as a district some two-and-a-half years back.

The employment exchanges played an effective role in the past in providing jobs to the people in government departments and private sector organizations as both used to communicate their requirement to these exchanges instead of advertising them in the newspapers.

The exchanges, in turn, used to refer suitable candidates to them, an official of the training and manpower department said.

A large number of people used to get themselves registered with these exchanges, but with the passage of time, the registration declined as successive governments started slashing funds, making it almost impossible for these exchanges to even pay utility bills and rent of the buildings owned by them.

Besides being out of reach of the people, these institutions have now lost contact with the public and private sector organizations, and even don’t have the facility of a telephone. The government departments have stopped dispatching information about vacancies to these exchanges and the private sector organizations have stopped employing people on a regular basis. They have developed links with contractors who provide manpower to such organizations on a contract basis. This has reduced chances of getting a job through an employment exchange.

According to an official, the decline in ratio of registration was more than 50 per cent. The statistics during the last nine months showed that 19,752 people, including 109 ex-service men, 1,078 women and 18,565 others, were registered with all the employment exchanges in Sindh, mostly in Karachi. Of them only 2,109, including 75 ex-service men, 77 women and 1,957 others, could get jobs.

The official was of the view that the employment exchanges could still play an effective role in solving the unemployment problem if they are given the required facilities for keeping a liaison with the public and private sector organizations. Besides, the labour department should pressure the private sector establishments to observe labour laws and ensure recruitment through these exchanges.—PPI