Question NW3534 to the Minister of Public Works
04 December 2017 - NW3534
Dreyer, Ms AM to ask the Minister of Public Works
(1) (a) What has been the vacancy rate in his department (i) in each of the past three financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2017, (b) how many of the vacancies are considered critical and (c) what are the reasons for not filling the vacancies; (2) whether he has found that the vacancies have a negative impact on the mandate of his department; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1(a). The vacancy rates of the Department for the past three financial years are as follows:
(i) 2014/15 - (21.6%)
2015/16 - (15.3%)
2016/17 - (16.03%)
(ii) As at 01 April 2017 the vacancy of the Department was 16.03%
(b). The department is currently in a transition; migrating from the old to the newly approved organisational structures and is therefore not able to provide the current and accurate number of vacancies for critical occupations. However, the number of critical vacancies as at 31 March 2017 was as follow:
|
Critical occupations |
Number of posts vacant |
|
Architects town and traffic planners |
13 |
|
Chemical and physical science technicians |
3 |
|
Civil engineering technicians |
9 |
|
Electrical and electronics engineering technicians |
3 |
|
Engineering science related |
38 |
|
Engineers and related professionals |
28 |
|
Mechanical engineering technicians |
0 |
|
Quantity surveyors and related professionals not classed elsewhere |
10 |
|
TOTAL |
104 |
(c) The non-filling of positions was as a result of the scarcity of skills and the review of the organisational structure. The organisational structures were approved 30 September 2016 and the Department is finalizing the migration processes in terms of matching and placement.
2. Yes, critical vacancies have a negative impact on the mandate of the department as they hamper on service delivery. The department is employing retired professionals to close the skills gaps and provide mentorship to candidate professionals.