Tanzanian government announces 6,000 job vacancies

Dar es Salaam. The President's Office, Public Service Recruitment Secretariat, has announced 6,257 job vacancies across various fields in the public sector, heightening expectations among recent graduates and job seekers.

The list of vacancies prominently features positions for procurement officers, drivers, extension officers, record assistants, accountants, opinion writers, community development officers, and accounting assistants.

The announcement names the positions and the number of the job openings in brackets as follows: procurement officers grade II (350), drivers grade II (514), agricultural assistant officer grade II (481), and opinion writers grade II (350).

Others are community development assistant officers (327), accountants grade II (380), record assistants grade II (382), beekeeping assistant officers grade II (42), land surveyors (4), fisheries officers grade II (90), wildlife officers grade II (117), transport officers (56), tourist officers grade II (27), cooperative officers grade II (27), and agricultural officers grade II (105).

Others are agricultural assistant officers grade III (447), information officers grade II (63), procurement assistants grade II (32), cooks grade II (78), cultural officers (6), wildlife conservation officers grade II (6), sports officers grade II (29), public service officers grade II (95), beekeeping officers grade II (32), systems assistants grade II (182), economists grade II (138), statisticians grade II (128), and thematic officers grade II (64).

The list includes business officers grade II (193), building engineers grade II (85), building designers grade II (63), accounting assistants grade II (200), agricultural engineers grade II (30), welfare assistant officers grade II (229), accounting assistants grade I (150), agricultural technicians grade II (40), and construction valuers grade II (30).

Applicants are required to attach certified birth certificates from a lawyer or attorney, endorsement letters from current employers, detailed curriculum vitae (CV) attached academic certificates, detailed documents, certified copies of birth certificates, Form Four and Form Six academic certificates (for those who have reached that level), training certificates, and professional certificates relevant to the position.

Those who studied outside the country should ensure their certificates have been verified and approved by the relevant authorities, including the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), the National Examination Council of Tanzania (Necta), and the National Council for Technical and Vocational Education (NACTVET).

The announcement shows that applicants are supposed to submit their applications no later than August 16, 2024.

However, the government's decision was greeted with opinion disparities among Tanzanians from different walks of life.

A bachelor's degree holder in economics, Mr Said Said, was of the view that the government announcement has given hope to those who have been grappling with unemployment challenges.

"For those of us who have been jobless for a long time, this is good news, and we should grab the opportunity to try our luck," said Mr Said, who graduated in 2019.

He was echoed by his accounting counterpart Shani Shabani, who said the government’s decision will significantly reduce the unemployment challenge among the graduate youth.

However, the ACT-Wazalendo Shadow Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, responsible for Parliament Affairs, Policy, Youth, Employment, and Labour, Mr Petro Ndolezi, agreed with the above graduates, saying it will significantly reduce the unemployment challenge despite the small number of announced positions as compared to the actual unemployment situation on the ground.

He called for increased job creation and improvement of policies and creating a more investment-friendly environment in the sectors that create a large number of jobs: agriculture and mining, among others.

“For investors to be attracted to invest more in these areas, as well as for young people with capital to start their businesses and ultimately lead in the job creation,” he said.

An economist, Mr Oscar Mkude, said even though the announced vacancies will alleviate the challenge, it is just like a drop of water in the ocean.