The Southern African Development Community (SADC), with support from the World Bank through the SADC Regional Statistics Project and technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), hosted a regional workshop on Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) and Data Modeling for the SADC Labour Market Observatory (LMO). This event took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 10th to 13th February 2025.
The workshop marked a significant milestone in strengthening Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS) within the SADC Region. It enhanced technical capacities in SDMX and data modeling, ensuring the seamless and standardised exchange of labour market data across the region.
SADC has made substantial progress toward establishing the SADC LMO, with Member States increasingly adopting modern statistical standards for collecting and reporting labour statistics. Most SADC Member States comply with the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) resolution on labour underutilisation and conduct regular Labour Force Surveys, including quarterly surveys. However, further efforts are necessary to fully implement new international labour statistics standards and harmonise data collection methods to improve data comparability at the regional level.
The workshop also addressed labour market statistics that inform policies significantly impacting livelihoods, economic growth, and regional integration. The ability to systematically track employment trends through the SADC LMO will facilitate better responses to unemployment, skills mismatches, and workforce development, fostering transformative and inclusive economic growth.
At regional level, the Labour Market Observatory will play a pivotal role in providing reliable data for evidence-based policymaking and supporting the implementation and monitoring of key regional frameworks, including the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (SISR) 2015–2063.
The SADC Region remains committed to collaborating closely with the World Bank, ILO, and other development partners to strengthen Member States’ statistical systems, emphasising targeted capacity building aligned with Member States’ specific data needs and priorities.
Following the workshop, the SADC region will engage in further activities to advance the development of the SADC Labour Market Observatory, focusing on data harmonisation and the finalisation of the observatory’s data management systems. These efforts aim to bring the SADC LMO to full operational status by the end of 2025, reinforcing the region’s commitment to a more integrated, data-driven approach to labour market policy.
The workshop was attended by various key stakeholders, which included representatives from national statistical offices, labour ministries, and technical experts.
