A Study on Labour Shortage in the ICT/BPO sector in Mauritius

A Study on Labour Shortage in the ICT/BPO sector in Mauritius

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A Study on Labour Shortage

in the ICT/BPO sector in Mauritius

May 2012

Gap Bridging Strategies

Gap Identification

Supply-Side Analysis

Demand-Side Analysis


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1. Landscape of the ICT sector 1

1.1. ICT Sector: HRD Matters! 1

1.2. The Mauritian ICT Sector 3

1.3. Rationale of the study 5

2. Aims and objectives of the study 7

2.1. Contribution of the ICT sector to the economy 7

2.2. Enrolment in ICT and ICT–related courses 8

2.3. TEC Graduate Tracer Study 2011 9

2.4. Employment in Mauritius 12

2.5. Employment in the sector 16

2.5.1. Employment forecasts for the ICT Sector, 2011-2015 17

3. Methodology 19

4. Findings of labour shortage survey 21

4.1. Sectorandemploymentprofile 21

4.1.1. Employee distribution by category 21

4.1.2. Size of workforce of companies included in the survey 22

4.1.3. Terms of employment (full-time versus part-time employment) 23

4.1.4. Expatriate workers in the ICT Sector 23

4.1.5. Educational Requirement in the ICT Sector 25

4.1.6. Working experience as a requirement in the ICT Sector 25

4.2. Labour shortage status 27

4.2.1. Perception about labour shortage at the national level 27

4.2.2. Perception of labour shortage in the ICT sector 28

4.2.3. Labour shortage within the company 28

4.3. FuturelabourrequirementinICTfirms 29

4.4. Labourshortageasdefinedbyemployersofthesector 30

4.4.1. Reasons for the labour shortage in the ICT sector 31

4.5. Current quality and level of skills in the ICT Sector 32

4.5.1. Scarcity Areas 33

4.5.2. Difficultyfillingjobs 34

4.6. Skills development initiatives 38

4.6.1. Budget allocation for training 38

4.6.2. Preferred mode for acquiring skills 39

4.6.3. Skills development initiatives 39

4.6.4. Use of the National Training Fund (Levy Grant System) 41

4.6.5. Training Needs Analysis 41

Contents


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Contents 4.7. Recruitment and retention of employees 41

4.7.1. Recruitment channels 42

4.7.2. Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting new employees 42

4.7.3. Difficultiesinretainingskilledemployees 46

4.8. Measuresproposedtofillskillsgap 46

4.8.1. Education and Training system 47 4.8.2. Government Policies 47 4.8.3. Areas of HR where assistance is required 48 4.8.4. Advice to those wishing to join the ICT sector 50

5. Conclusion and Recommendation 51

6. References 63

Appendix I : Skills requirement for the ICT Sector, 2011 - 2015

Appendix II : Questionnaire

AppendixIII :NumberofregisteredprofessionaljobseekerswithICTqualifications

Appendix IV : Number of expatriates working in the ICT Sector

Appendix V : ICT Statistics

Appendix VI : Students enrolled at University of Technology, Mauritius

Appendix VII : Students enrolled at University of Mauritius

Appendix VIII : Results of Salary Survey

Appendix IX : SC & HSC results


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TablesTable 1: Development ICT Index, 2008-2010 8

Table 2: Enrolment in ICT and ICT-related courses, 2006-2010 8

Table 3: Graduates in Full Time Employment, distributed by Programme of Study and Cohort (%) 9

Table4: ICTsectorrelatedfigures,2006-2010 16

Table 5: Projected number of employees in large establishments in ICT Sector 17

Table 6 : Main activities of the ICT Sector in the sample 20

Table 7: Number of companies by size of workforce and by main activities of ICT companies included in the survey 23

Table8: Percentageofpart-timeemployeesinICTfirms 23

Table 9: Number of expatriates by employee category and main activity 24

Table 10: Work permits issued in the ICT Sector, 2008-2011 24

Table 11: Percentage of organisations employing different categories of staff per minimum educational level 25

Table 12: Experience required per employee category 26

Table 13: Top ten jobs that would be required, 2011-2015 30

Table14: ReasonsstatedbyemployersastowhyitisdifficulttorecruitskilledlabourinMauritius 34

Table 15: Suggestions by employers regarding the measures to reduce mismatch 36

Table 16: Percentage of budget allocated to training by organisations in ICT 38

Table17: Preference(topfive)foracquiringtherequiredskillsfororganisationsintheICTSector 39

Table 18: Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting Workers in the ICT Sector 43

Table 19: Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting Specialised worker in the ICT Sector 43

Table 20: Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting Professional Staff in the ICT Sector 44


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FiguresFigure 1: Trend in employment in the ICT sector by gender, 2006 – 2010 16

Figure 2: Trend in employment in the ICT Sector with forecasts, 2006-2015 18

Figure 3: Composition of ICT sector workforce 21

Figure 4: Proportion of employee categories by size of company 22

Figure 5: Do you agree that Mauritius is experiencing labour shortage? 27

Figure 6: Perception of labour shortage at sector level 28

Figure 7: Do you have labour shortage in your organisation currently? 28

Figure 8: Existence of labour shortage in the ICT Sector per sub-sector 29

Figure 9: Will there be a net increase in the number of employees in 2012 in organisations? 29

Figure10:DescriptionofLabourshortagetermsofqualificationsandpastworkexperience 30

Figure 11: Description of labour shortage in terms of lack of technical and soft skills 31

Figure 12: Reasons for labour shortage in the ICT sector 31

Figure 13: Status of skills among existing pool of skills in the ICT sector 32

Figure 14: Importance attached to soft skills in the ICT Sector 33

Figure 15: Initiatives to address skills shortage among existing employees in the ICT Sector 40

Figure 16: Strategic skills development plan for the organisation 40

Figure 17: Do you use the Levy Grant System provided by the HRDC? 41

Figure 18: Do you carry out any TNA before training your employees? 41

Figure 19: Most preferred method of recruitment in the ICT Sector 42

Figure20:Doesyourorganisationfaceanydifficultyinretainingskilledpeople? 46

Figure 21: Percentage of respondents who ranked their recommendations among top three 47

Figure22:PolicieswhichtheGovernmentmayconsidertofillskillsgap 48

Figure 23: Areas in HR where organisations would like to have training and / or assistance 49

Figure 24: Percentage of respondents who ranked the following advices among top three 50


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AcknowledgementThe survey and the report prepared is an effort of a vibrant team. This report for the ICT Sector is the result of the splendid support of our stakeholders namely the employers of the ICT Sector who were the respondents of the survey. Grateful acknowledgement is accorded to the team of the Research Division for their valuable contribution and continued support. This report could not have been put together without the thought leadership of Dr K S Sukon and undoubtedly the combined effort of:

Leena Ramtohul��

R K Sharma Seechurn��

Kreshna Googoolye��

Tehjal Vaghjee-Rajiah��

Devika Gopaul��

Malini Ramah��

The series of consultations and survey results have helped in drawing conclusions and make recommendations on the future manpower requirements of the ICT Sector. We look forward to our continued partnership with our stakeholders.

The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the respondents and do not necessarilyreflectthoseoftheHRDC.


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1. Landscape of the ICT sector1.1. ICT Sector: HRD Matters!

In the modern knowledge-intensive economy human resources are the most critical factor behind the success of corporations. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is one of the most knowledge-intensive branches of the economy. The overall importance of ICT has also greatly increased, as it is nowadays widely integrated into almost all functions of the whole economy, business and society.

NumerousresearchhasprovenhowthesenewICTtoolswithinthefieldsofeducation,environmentand income-generating opportunities are revolutionising and helping nations develop socially and economically faster than ever before. As a result, it is highly important to foresee the skills needed from the ICT professionals in the future.

Based on the 2011/2012 Global Competitiveness Index published by the World Economic Forum, Mauritius was pitched at the 54th position out of a total of 142 countries when ranked from high to low competitiveness. The index which is measured on a scale from 1 (lowest degree of competitiveness) to 7 (highest degree of competitiveness) stood at 4.31 for the country. Putting the lens closer to the pillars (efficiency enhancers: rank of 68 and score of 4.04)that comprise ‘higher education and training’ and ‘technological readiness’ amongst others, Mauritius has been pitched at the 68th (score: 4.17) and 61st (score: 3.76) positions respectively. On the ‘Innovation and sophistication factors’ scale, we were ranked 60th with a score of 3.62. Business sophistication rank was 44th and a score of 4.27, innovation at 89th and scored 2.96.

The report recommends that efforts continue to be required in the area of education. Educational enrolment rates remain low at all levels, and the educational system gets only mediocre marks for quality. Beyond its educational weaknesses, the labourmarketscouldbemademoreefficient—ithasstringenthiringandfiringlaws(82nd)andwages thatarenotflexiblydetermined (107th), reducing the incentive for jobcreation in thecountry.

The Global IT Report ranks Mauritius on the 47th position in 2010-2011 out of 138 countries. Mauritius consolidates its predominance in the region, with a six-place improvement to 47th. This has been associated with the fact that the government has been placing a high priority on ICT diffusion in its development strategy (25th), notably using these technologies to provide better access and quality of basic services for its citizens (53rd) among other initiatives. On a more negative note, infrastructure especially in its human resources dimension, shows a margin for improvement at 78th place, and ICT usage is still far below international best practices, especially for the business sector (69th) and the government (72nd).

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1. Landscape of the ICT sector 1.1. ICT Sector: HRD Matters!

In the modern knowledge-intensive economy human resources are the most

critical factor behind the success of corporations. Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) sector is one of the most knowledge-

intensive branches of the economy. The overall importance of ICT has also

greatly increased, as it is nowadays widely integrated into almost all functions

of the whole economy, business and society.

Numerous research has proven how these new ICT tools within the fields of

education, environment and income-generating opportunities are

revolutionising and helping nations develop socially and economically faster

than ever before. As a result, it is highly important to foresee the skills needed

from the ICT professionals in the future.

Based on the 2011/2012 Global

Competitiveness Index published by the

World Economic Forum, Mauritius was

pitched at the 54th position out of a total of

142 countries when ranked from high to

low competitiveness. The index which is

measured on a scale from 1 (lowest

degree of competitiveness) to 7 (highest

degree of competitiveness) stood at 4.31

for the country. Putting the lens closer to

the pillars (efficiency enhancers: rank of

68 and score of 4.04) that comprise

‘higher education and training’ and ‘technological readiness’ amongst others,

Mauritius has been pitched at the 68th (score: 4.17) and 61st (score: 3.76)

positions respectively. On the ‘Innovation and sophistication factors’ scale, we

Source: Global Competitiveness report 2011/2012


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The Global IT Report 2010-2011-Mauritius


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In the emerging digital economy, human resources are the critical factor behind success. Therefore, scarcity in skills or in skilled personnel can pose a serious threat to the ICT sector. The quantity and quality of skills have been important issues especially in the high growth development phase, which the ICT sector in many countries has gone through. But quantitative skills shortage and qualitative skills gap could still threaten further positive development of the ICT sector. In addition, when ICT is nowadays widely integrated throughout the functions of the whole economy and society, the possible skills related problems are to be taken seriously (Pohjola 2002, SRI Consulting 1997). When generalised to all end-users and the whole society, the qualitative skills gap could also block countries’ path towards true information society (Gaia 2000 and Koski et al., 2001). Changes taking placeintheoperationalenvironmentoftheICTfirmsinfluencetheskillprofilestheydemandfromtheir employees. By examining the evolution of the ICT sector and business a clearer picture of the skills demanded in the future can be formed.

Themost critical challenge hasmoved significantly towards the actual human dimension andcapacities required to actually capitalize on these new technologies. Skills shortage is a global concern as revealed by research studies in many parts of the world (Kikwasi, 2011).

Recent theories argue that the role of employees has dramatically changed over the past century. The current environment emphasizes quality and innovation, for which human, rather than physical capital, is particularly important (Zingales, 2000). Human relations theories (e.g. Maslow, 1943; Hertzberg, 1959; McGregor, 1960) view employees as key organisational assets, rather than expendable commodities, who can create substantial value by inventing new products or building client relationships. These theories argue that satisfaction can improve retention and motivation, tothebenefitofshareholders.The rapidly changing nature of ICT has likewise put pressure on the sector. IT workers can quickly findthemselvesoutofworkasnewtechnologies render their technical skillsallbutobsolete,while at the same time professionals with ‘‘old skills’’, become coveted.

Even though new institutions for training and education of ICT manpower have been established in various forms in Mauritius, it is acknowledged that FDI and foreign technology transfer via Multi-NationalCompanies(MNCs)haveplayedasignificantroleindevelopingICTskills.MNCscaneffectively transfer technology and diffuse knowledge, wherever their subsidiaries are located.

Changes in skill profiles happen at all levels ofqualificationsandacrossallsectors.Toavoidfutureskill shortages, countries need to devise strategies based on well-informed policy decisions, social dialogue and coordination among ministries and between employers and training providers.

1.2. The Mauritian ICT Sector

The Government Programme 2010-2015 has set a number of challenging targets to the next stride to convert Mauritius into a regional ICT hub. The vision of Government is to make of Mauritius an I-Mauritius (Intelligent Mauritius) through full Broadband Islandwide Connectivity and to narrow the digital divide. Because of its cross-cutting nature, the ICT sector plays a pivotal role in employment, job creation and quality/efficiency in other servicesdelivery.

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The rapidly changing nature of ICT has likewise put pressure on the sector. IT

workers can quickly find themselves out of work as new technologies render

their technical skills all but obsolete, while at the same time professionals with

‘‘old skills'', become coveted.

Even though new institutions for training and education of ICT manpower have

been established in various forms in Mauritius, it is acknowledged that FDI and

foreign technology transfer via Multi-National Companies (MNCs) have played a

significant role in developing ICT skills. MNCs can effectively transfer

technology and diffuse knowledge, wherever their subsidiaries are located.

Changes in skill profiles happen at all levels of qualifications and across all

sectors. To avoid future skill shortages, countries need to devise strategies

based on well-informed policy decisions, social dialogue and coordination

among ministries and between employers and training providers.

1.2. The Mauritian ICT Sector

The Government Programme 2010-2015 has set a

number of challenging targets to the next stride to

convert Mauritius into a regional ICT hub. The

vision of Government is to make of Mauritius an I-

Mauritius (Intelligent Mauritius) through full

Broadband Islandwide Connectivity and to narrow

the digital divide. Because of its cross-cutting

nature, the ICT sector plays a pivotal role in

employment, job creation and quality/efficiency in

other services delivery.

The National Computer Board (NCB) has recently redefined its strategies to

respond more effectively to new national aspirations in view of multi-faceted

The IT/BPO global sourcing market size is currently estimated between USD 89bn and 93bn with IT and BPO market shares averaging 40 and 60 percent respectively. The contribution of the IT/BPO sector to the Mauritian economy is expected to grow to some 8% by 2015 with direct employment in the sector amounting to 25,000.

Mauritius is a leading global outsourcing destination ranked 25th on the A.T. Kearney Global Services Location index 2009 and 2nd in Africa as per the Commonwealth Business Council report 2009. The country is also among the highest in Africa in the Digital Opportunity Index ranking (DOI).

Source: BOI, 2012


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The National Computer Board (NCB) has recently redefined its strategies to respond moreeffectively to new national aspirations in view of multi-faceted challenges emerging in the wake of globalisation and threatening the very resilience of the country’s economy. Its core mission is now to accelerate the transition of Mauritius into a regional ICT hub and ensure the swift realisation of government’s objective to make of the ICT sector the third pillar of the economy.

FurtherdiversificationofICTservices,includingSoftwaredevelopment,high-endBPOactivitiesand Disaster Recovery Centres has been envisaged. Mauritius has, up to now, successfully navigated the vagaries of the global economy, on which it is so dependent. The development of the ICT sector poses numerous challenges for the island in its effort to gain a competitive edge in the presence of Asian giants namely India and China where their human capital is their major asset.

The ICT sector is strategically important for Mauritius as it plays a vital role in the development of othersectors.ItsweightinGDPisrisingfast.Itreachedafigure6.4percentin2011anditemployednearly 13 000 people in 2010 in large establishments (those employing more than 10 employees). The budget speech 2012 announced that occupation permits will be issued to workers in the ICT/BPO earning more than Rs30 000. This measure will enable more local ICT professionals to be

tapped by the ICT/BPO industry.

The BPO is one of the fastest growing segments of Information Technology Enabled Services. Mauritius has taken several initiatives to develop the ICT/BPO industry. There are activities that require greater skill, knowledge, education and expertise to handle and these form an offshoot of BPO known as Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO).

The evolution of the ICT sector in Mauritius warrants a detailed evaluation of the current skills and knowledge since they are the main driving forces of economic growth

and social development of Mauritius. Countries with higher and better levels of skills adjust more effectively to the challenges and opportunities of the world of work. Thus, it is necessary that the local workforce be adequately skilled to realise the ‘demographic dividend’.

Clearly, the pattern of skills required in the local sector is changing. Companies are increasingly recruiting skilled and highly skilled people who can easily use and adopt latest trends and technologies.Therefore,identificationofimbalancesbetweenthedemandforandthesupplyofspecificskillsinthelocalICTindustryisparticularlyimportantsinceitcontainsalargenumberofdistinct skills categories. Shortages in any particular category can result in “bottleneck” in output and reduce productivity, whereas surplus of trained workers can cause serious unemployment or underemployment which represents a squander of national resources (Hillebrandt and Leikle, 1985; Kao and Lee, 1998).

On the demand-side, manpower forecast focuses on the expected quantity of jobs to be available and nature of the requirements in the future (Bartholomew et al., 1991). Therefore, manpower planning has become useful for this sector in order to reduce the mismatch in skills as well as to help economic planners, policy makers and training providers in their endeavours. Availability

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Nitish joined Accenture in November 2009 in Solutions, SAP CRM 7 with an HSC and a few months experience. Nitish was subjected to an HR interview followed by a technical interview. The company found lots of potential in Nitish and he was offered a job as a Trainee at the beginning. He was converted from Trainee to Assistant Software Engineer in Feb 2010 despite not possessing a degree and promoted to Software Engineer in March 2012. He was given the same opportunities to “grow” as anyone else.. The training facilities (online, classroom and on the job coaching) and HR support assisted him to acquire the know-how and ramp up quickly on SAP CRM 7. The young Nitish was encouraged to pursue his studies – he is currently enrolled in a degree in IT programme at UoM. The flexible working hours allow him to attend classes. He has set clear career goals for himself to meet his aspirations.

challenges emerging in the wake of globalisation and threatening the very

resilience of the country's economy. Its core mission is now to accelerate the

transition of Mauritius into a regional ICT hub and ensure the swift realisation

of government's objective to make of the ICT sector the third pillar of the

economy.

Further diversification of ICT services, including Software development, high-

end BPO activities and Disaster Recovery Centres has been envisaged.

Mauritius has, up to now, successfully navigated the vagaries of the global

economy, on which it is so dependent. The development of the ICT sector

poses numerous challenges for the island in its effort to gain a competitive

edge in the presence of Asian giants namely India and China where their

human capital is their major asset.

The ICT sector is strategically important for Mauritius as it plays a vital role in

the development of other sectors. Its weight in GDP is rising fast. It reached a

figure 6.4 percent in 2011 and it employed nearly 13 000 people in 2010 in

large establishments (those employing more than 10 employees). The budget

speech 2012 announced that occupation permits will be issued to workers in

the ICT/BPO earning more than Rs30 000. This measure will enable more local

ICT professionals to be tapped

by the ICT/BPO industry.

The BPO is one of the fastest

growing segments of

Information Technology

Enabled Services. Mauritius

has taken several initiatives to

develop the ICT/BPO

industry. There are activities

that require greater skill,

Nitish at Accenture


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of employment forecasts provides forewarning information of likely shortfalls to stakeholders including employment policy makers and training providers who can adjust the supply of skills and thereby mitigate some damaging effects of shortages (Hillebrandt and Meikle, 1985). The need for nationally coordinated manpower planning is crucial as educational and vocational guidance helps to deal with the problems of growing unemployment, knowledge obsolescence and changing skill requirements (Heijke, 1993). Concerted efforts of all the stakeholders are necessary to ensure sufficientnumberofskilledpeopleisavailabletoworkinthelocalICT/BPOsectoraswellastoavoid the erosion of attraction to ICT/BPO careers.

1.3. Rationale of the study

In this hyper-competitive global era where technological change is intensifying and demographic change is unfolding, skills mismatch has come to the forefront of the policy debate in Mauritius especially that human resources remain our most important resource. Skills mismatch includes skillshortagesduetolackofqualification,knowledgeandexperienceaswellasskillsexceedingjob requirements. Lack of skills in some sectors may occur simultaneously with supply of over qualifiedpeopleinothers.Ifskillsmismatchisnotresolved,itaddstorealcostsonindividuals,enterprises and societies. Therefore, it is imperative to know the ever-changing skills needs in order to match skills and jobs.

MoreandmoreemployerscomplainaboutthelackofrequiredlabourtofilltheskillsgapintheICT sector in Mauritius. It is an undisputed fact that foreign labour would be needed to ensure that the sector continues to grow. However, stakeholders need to work together in order to reduce the dependency on foreign labour while providing services that meet all local and international norms.

This study focuses on skills need in the local ICT/BPO sector. There are shortages of skilled individualsacrossseveraldisciplinesoftheICTsector.Thereportsatisfiestoalargeextenttheurgent need that was felt to synthesise evidence and provide new insights that can provide the basis for crafting comprehensive policies that would prevent and address skill mismatch and its consequences to the ICT sector. This study also provides data that are the most crucial prerequisites to supporting timely, effective and evidence-based skills-match policies.


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2. Aims and objectives of the studyThe aim of the survey was to measure and understand the current state and pattern of skills as well as the future evolution of the ICT manpower landscape in Mauritius. This would help develop strategies and policies to reduce the mismatch between demand and supply of labour in the ICT sector. Some implications are drawn for the demand for particular skills.

The objectives were:

1. to assess the current situation of labour shortage in the ICT sector;2. toidentifytheimmediateandfuturespecificskillsrequirements;3. toidentifytheprofileofemployeesrequiredbyemployers;and4. to make recommendations for policy makers to devise strategies to reduce the labour

mismatch in the ICT sector.

This survey also determines the demographic characteristics, skills and competencies of ICT Professionals in Mauritius and assesses the critical ICT skills needed by the ICT sector. The main indicators collected from the survey include:

Size and growth of ICT manpower in Mauritius;��

Profile(e.g.education,skills)ofICTmanpower;��

ICT skills in demand;��

Labour turnover of ICT manpower;��

Training expenditure of ICT manpower; and��

Recruitment hurdles. ��

2.1. Contribution of the ICT sector to the economy

In 2010, value added at current prices generated by the ICT sector was Rs 16 941 million, under the shadowofaglobaldownturn,14.1percenthigherthanthefigureofRs14851millionin2009.

The real growth rate was 13.1 percent same as in 2009. In 2010, around 46 percent of value added of the sector was generated by activities of telecommunications, 11 percent by wholesale and retail trade and 43 percent by the remaining activities. The number of large establishments

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2. Aims and objectives of the study The aim of the survey was to measure and understand the current state and

pattern of skills as well as the future evolution of the ICT manpower landscape

in Mauritius. This would help develop strategies and policies to reduce the

mismatch between demand and supply of labour in the ICT sector. Some

implications are drawn for the demand for particular skills.

The objectives were:

1. to assess the current situation of labour shortage in the ICT sector;

2. to identify the immediate and future specific skills requirements;

3. to identify the profile of employees required by employers; and

4. to make recommendations for policy makers to devise strategies to

reduce the labour mismatch in the ICT sector.

This survey also determines the demographic characteristics, skills and

competencies of ICT Professionals in Mauritius and assesses the critical ICT

skills needed by the ICT sector. The main indicators collected from the survey

include:

Size and growth of ICT manpower in Mauritius;

Profile (e.g. education, skills) of ICT manpower;

ICT skills in demand;

Labour turnover of ICT manpower;

Training expenditure of ICT manpower; and

Recruitment hurdles.

The definition of the ICT sector is according to the recommendations of the Global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development of the United Nations. The ICT sector consists of manufacturing and services industries whose products capture, transmit or display data and information electronically It includes related activities of “Manufacturing”, “Wholesale and retail trade”, “Communications”, “Business services (such as call centres, software development, website development and hosting, multimedia and IT consulting and disaster recovery)”. Since 2008 “Education in IT” is excluded from the ICT sector definition. Source: Statistics Mauritius, Economic and Social Indicators-ICT - 2010


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operating in the ICT sector was 139 in 2010, representing an increase of 3.7 percent over the 2009 figureof134.Employmentinthoseestablishmentsincreasedby3.8percentto12826in2010from12 360 in 2009.

Table 1: Development ICT Index, 2008-2010

Category Index

2008 2009 2010

ICT Access 4.24 4.74 5.12

ICT Use 1.03 1.50 1.67

ICT Skills 6.63 6.67 6.73

ICT Development Index 3.44 3.83 4.03

Source: Economic and Social Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics – Statistics 2010, Statistics Mauritius

The ICT Development Index (IDI) which measures countries’ progress towards becoming information societies improved to 4.03 in 2010 for Mauritius from 3.83 in 2009 and ranked 69th. Mauritius was rankedfirstamongAfricancountriesfollowedbySeychelles(Rank71st).

2.2. Enrolment in ICT and ICT–related courses

Enrolment in ICT at secondary and tertiary level has increased over the years.

Table 2: Enrolment in ICT and ICT-related courses, 2006-2010

Educational level 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Students examined in ICT atSchoolCertificatelevel

Number 4,177 4,571 4,624 4,636 5,241

Percentage 25 26 26 27 26

Students examined in ICT atHigherSchoolCertificatelevel

Number 822 920 933 952 977

Percentage 10.2 10.8 10.5 10.0 10.0

Tertiary education1

Students enrolled in ICT oranICT-dominatedfieldat tertiary level

Number 3,971 3,700 3,448 3,475 3,694

Percentage 12.0 10.6 8.9 8.5 8.3

1 Includes also distance education and institutions abroad, and relates to school years 2006/2007 to 2010/2011

Source: Annual Survey in Primary and Secondary Schools in March, Mauritius Examination Syndicate (MES) and Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)

Source: Economic and Social Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics – Statistics Mauritius 2010


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In order to be competitive in the globalising knowledge economy, we need to invest in innovation systems. Mauritius needs to turn its production towards more value-added segments and knowledge-intensive products and services which will imply greater dependency on access to new technologies, knowledge and skills. And, with the parallel processes of globalisation and localisation, the local availability of knowledge and skills is becoming increasingly important. There is therefore a pressing need to nurture our unique assets and circumstances, particularly in developing knowledge-based industries. As key sources of knowledge and innovation, higher education institutions are central to this process and the quality of graduates coming out of these institutions has to be of high level for Mauritius to maintain a competitive edge.

2.3. TEC Graduate Tracer Study 2011

The Graduate Tracer Study 2011 covers the two biggest tertiary education providers in the country namely the University of Mauritius (UoM) and the University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM), which together account for over three quarter of degree graduates produced locally.

The survey targeted a random sample of 3 453 full-time degree graduates (1 515 male and 1 938 female) from the UoM (3 103) and the UTM (350), out of a graduate population of 7 188 over the period2006to2010.Thesamplecomprisedabout50percentofthegraduatesstratifiedbycohortand programme, gender and place of residence, from a list obtained from these institutions which provideddetailsofnamesandaddressesofgraduatesbyfieldandyearofgraduation,encompassingsome 95 programmes. The list of ICT courses and ICT related courses are displayed at Table 3.

Table 3: Graduates in Full Time Employment, distributed by Programme of Study and Cohort (%)

Field of Study 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total

1. Accounting minor Information Systems - - 100 - - 100

2. Accounting with Information Systems 100 100 100 87.5 - 95

3. Business Economics with Information Systems - 100 100 80 80 90

4. Business Informatics 100 100 100 - - 100

5. Business Information Systems 100 100 100 100 - 100

6. Computer Science & Eng 100 100 100 100 - 100

7. Computer Science with Multimedia 100 - - - - 100

8. Computer Science with Network security - 100 100 - - 100

9. Electronics & Computer Science 100 - 100 100 - 100

10. Information Systems - 100 100 90 60 89.7

11. Information Technology 100 83.3 67 100 100 92

12. Information Technology Enabled Services - - 83 33.3 - 66.7

13. Mathematics with Computer Science 75 100 100 100 75 88.9

14. Mgt with Information Systems - 100 83 66.7 100 86.7

15. Statistics with Computer Science - 100 100 100 100 100

(Source: Graduate Tracer Study of UoM/UTM 2011 - Graduates’ Labour Market Experiences)

Among those persons having an ICT degree or a degree in an ICT-related field,more than 75percent have secured a job and are “active ICT professionals”. However those who followed the programmeinInformationTechnologyEnabledServicesfacedmajordifficulties.


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Pravind started his career as a Payroll agent in 2004. Throughout the years, he climbed the career ladder and today he is in a management position.

He has been subjected to continuous learning through the different processes that he has been involved in for customers based in UK, US and Canada. The nature of the industry has offered Pravind the opportunity to travel to different countries and explore different cultures. The BPO industry being very dynamic and to accommodate this changing environment, Pravind went through training and coaching for self-development which has helped him grow with the company.

Today, Pravind manages a team of 100 people.

Global competitiveness report 2011/2012 - Higher education and training indicator

Indicator Value Rank/142

5th pillar: Higher education and training

Secondary education enrolment, gross % 87.2 71

Tertiary education enrolment, gross % 25.9 81

Quality of the educational system 4 50

Quality of math and science education 4.1 63

Quality of management schools 3.9 87

Internet access in schools 4 75

Availability of research and training services 4 76

Extent of staff training 4.3 40

The ranking for the quality of the educational system was 50 but internet access at schools was pitched at 75.

Pravind at Ceridian


11

CeridianCeridian started its operations in 2000 with 10 employees. Today it employs some 700 people associates (including 7 expatriates) in ITO (software development, software testing, and support),FAO(financeandaccountingoutsourcing)andBPO(payroll,taxservices,healthcareclaims processing, HR admin, EAP). Ceridian plans to grow to 1,000 associates by 2014 given the high demand from UK and US. Labour turnover is in the tune of 11 percent. It serves clients in US, UK and Canada. At present, off-shoring is becoming more and more apparent from Europe and US.

Its ITO operation has 45% of its workforce comprising primarily of degree holders. Its BPO operation comprises 50% of its employees with a mix of HSC, diploma and degree holders. FAO comprises less than 5 % with a mix of HSC, diploma and degree (many are ACCA students). Fresh graduates require some 6 months to reach an acceptable level of performance and be productive.

As a matter of fact, no major problem is faced for recruitment in FAO and BPO whereas ITO is experiencing serious labour shortage since all companies worldwide are looking for resources, where salary of employees are competitive. In ITO, some skills sets are more scarce such as Java and Oracle amongst others. People need to have knowledge in more than one technology. In the same vein, Ceridian has recently launched their learning centre in partnership with NIIT (a world leader in training). Due to the lack of competencies on the market today it is distorting the market value for such professional, resulting in high salaries. This makes Mauritius less competitive compared to other emerging markets.

In order to meet demand of employers at any point in time, supply should exceed demand implying that we should create talent surplus. Enrolment at the universities in IT should at least treble. It is noted with concern that the enrolment rate in IT is reducing year over year at Mauritius universities. We could start converting people with technical degrees (mathematics, science, engineering) into IT engineers, however we need to enhance enrolment for technical subjects at schools and universities. It is also believed that the universities are very rigid about reviewing their curriculum. There is a need to improve the perception of people regarding its image to make the sector attractive. Parents do not want their kids to work at non-standard hours and are not familiar with the sector.

Additionally, many people have technical skills in ICT but lack customer management skills and other soft skills which is a matter of serious concern when working internationally. Attitude issue of the workforce needs to be addressed at the level of schools itself. Graduates are not hungry to learn, do not go for training on their own and they are thus not ready for prompt absorption by the job market. The future is challenging though there is a lot of potential. Apart from human resource, there are telecommunications challenges as well. Training is also expensive in Mauritius and there is a concern about levy being reduced. Our only resource being human resource, we need to invest in world class education and training to produce people with global skills.

The company works with different time zones. Therefore logistics like transport, shopping at night are issues to be dealt with in Mauritius. It is a huge cost to be incurred by the company. “Weneedtoensuretohavesufficientnumberofgraduatesforfutureopportunitiesandmeetthe future demand. We need also to consider that future demand will be affected by the supply of IT professional on the market today and in the future.”

The future of Mauritius is to serve the global business and our economic growth is based on talent we build today.


12

2.4. Employment in Mauritius

Population projection 2010-2050

According to the World Bank population projections by country, the population of Mauritius, which was 1.250 million as at December 2011, would reach its peak by 2035, that is 1.367 million, and would gradually dwindle to reach around 1.322 million in 2050. This population pattern will obviously have an impact on the labour force, more particularly on the active labour force, as depicted in Figure C.

Source: Adapted from World Bank online database

Figure B clearly projects the ageing of the Mauritian population with an increasing trend of those above 60 and/or above 65 years and a fall in proportion of those in the active working group 15-59and/or15-64years.Thisageingpopulationphenomenonisfurtheramplifiedbyadecreasingtrend in the below 15 years population. In a nutshell, any future medium or long term strategy with regards to the management of the Mauritian labour force will have to consider the pertinent issues of ageing as well as the trend in Mauritian population.

22

2.4. Employment in Mauritius

Population projection 2010-2050

According to the World Bank population projections by country, the population

of Mauritius, which was 1.250 million as at December 2011, would reach its

peak by 2035, that is 1.367 million, and would gradually dwindle to reach

around 1.322 million in 2050. This population pattern will obviously have an

impact on the labour force, more particularly on the active labour force, as

depicted in Figure C.

Source: Adapted from World Bank online database

Figure B clearly projects the ageing of the Mauritian population with an increasing

trend of those above 60 and/or above 65 years and a fall in proportion of those in the

active working group 15-59 and/or 15-64 years. This ageing population phenomenon

is further amplified by a decreasing trend in the below 15 years population. In a

nutshell, any future medium or long term strategy with regards to the management of

the Mauritian labour force will have to consider the pertinent issues of ageing as well

as the trend in Mauritian population.

1,281

1,313

1,339

1,357

1,366 1,367

1,359

1,342

1,322

1,270

1,280

1,290

1,300

1,310

1,320

1,330

1,340

1,350

1,360

1,370

1,380

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Popu

lati

on ('

000)

Year

Figure A: Population projection 2010-2050, Island of Mauritius


13

Figure B: Population pyramids by age group and gender, Island of Mauritius, 2010, 2020 & 2050

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/mp-mauritius/Age_distribution

23

Figure B: Population pyramids by age group and gender, Island of Mauritius, 2010, 2020 & 2050

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/mp-mauritius/Age_distribution


14

Highlights of the labour force, employment and unemployment as at fourth quarter 2011

The total Mauritian population aged 16 and over for the fourth quarter 2011 stood at 987 200, ��

with 483 800 males (49 percent) and 503 400 females (51 percent).

The total economically active population was 585 600, comprising of 365 500 males (62 ��

percent) and 220 100 (38 percent) females.

Employment of Mauritians is estimated at 541 800 at the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to ��

537 700 for the same period in 2010 and 536 400 at the fourth quarter of 2009.

The unemployment rate is estimated at 7.5 percent, comprising of 4.9 percent for males and ��

11.8 percent for females. The unemployment rate stood at 7.2 percent for same period in

2010 and 6.3 percent in 2009.

The tertiary sector was the major employer with 63.8 percent followed by the secondary ��

sector 27.5 percent and primary sector 8.7 percent.

Employment in the Construction sector represented 10.2 percent of the active population in ��

employment and it stood at 10.7 percent for the same period in 2010.

The main characteristics of the unemployed at the fourth quarter of 2011 were:

There were 43 800 unemployed comprising 17 900 males (41 percent) and 25 900 females ��

(59 percent).For the same period in 2010, there were 41 600 unemployed comprising 13 100

males (31 percent) and 28 500 females (69 percent).

17 100 or about 39 percent of the unemployed were aged below 25 years. For the same period ��

in 2010, 15 300 or about 37 percent of the unemployed were aged below 25 years.

Some8600or20percenthadnotreachedtheCertificateofPrimaryEducation(CPE)levelor��

equivalentandafurther15900(36percent)didnothavetheCambridgeSchoolCertificate

(SC) or equivalent. For the same period in 2010, some 9 000 or 22 percent had not reached the

CertificateofPrimaryEducation(CPE)levelorequivalentandafurther16700(40percent)

didnothavetheCambridgeSchoolCertificate(SC)orequivalent.

Infourthquarter2010,14100(34percent)werelookingforafirstjobwhilethisfigurerose��

to 15 600 (36 percent) in 2011.

Employment of Mauritians increased by 600 from 536 100 in 2010 to 536 700 in 2011. It ��

increased by 11 300 from 524 800 in 2009 to 536 100 in 2010.

Unemployment rate stood at 7.8 percent in 2010 compared to 7.3 percent in 2009. It increased ��

marginally from 7.8 percent in 2010 to 7.9 percent in 2011.


15

Table A: Comparative figures, fourth quarter 2010 and fourth quarter 2011

Q4 - 2010 Q4-2011 Change Q4 2011 - Q4 2010

Labour force 579 300 585 600 +6 300

Employment 537 700 541 800 +4 100

Unemployment 41 600 43 800 +2 200

Unemployment rate (%) 7.2 7.5 +0.3

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate 8.1 8.4 +0.3

Table B: Employment and unemployment - Year 2010 & 2011, Island of Mauritius

Year 2010 Year 2011 Change

Employment 536,100 536,700 +600

Unemployment 45,200 46,100 +900

Unemployment rate (%) 7.8 7.9 +0.1

26

Activity rate 59.3%

Unemployment rate 7.9%

Figure C: Labour market, 4th quarter 2011, Island of Mauritius


16

2.5. Employment in the sector

The ICT sector employed nearly 13 000 people in 2010 (Economic and Social Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics, 2010) in 139 large establishments. The gap between male and female employment has reduced to an almost equal distribution.

Table 4: ICT sector related figures, 2006-2010

2006 1 2007 1 2008 1 2009 1 2010

Establishments 2 in ICT sector (number) 108 116 129 134 139

Employment 2 in the ICT sector(number) 7,970 10,170 11,250 12,360 12,826

Male 4,470 5,560 5,970 6,610 6,787

Female 3,500 4,610 5,280 5,750 6,039

Employment in the ICT sector 2.8 3.5 3.7 4.1 4.2as a % of total employment

Value added in the ICT sector (Rs Million) 9,858 11,714 12,994 14,851 16,941

Value added in the ICT sector as a % of GDP 5.2 5.4 5.3 5.9 6.4

Growth rate in the ICT sector (%) 13.0 15.1 13.2 13.1 13.1

1 Revised 2 Large establishments, that is employing 10 or more personsSource: Economic and Social Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics – Statistics 2010, Statistics Mauritius

The general trend in employment in the sector has been increasing over the years as depicted in Figure 1. The gap between male and female employment in the ICT sector has sunk in the past few years. The total employment has taken an upward trend and in light of the measures taken by the Government and budget speech 2012, it will offer tremendous employment opportunities for the youth who must be well equipped.

Figure 1: Trend in employment in the ICT sector by gender, 2006 – 2010

Source: Adapted from Digest of Labour Statistics 2010 and historical series, Statistics Mauritius (2011)

27

2.5. Employment in the sector

The ICT sector employed nearly 13 000 people in 2010 (Economic and Social

Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics, 2010)

in 139 large establishments. The gap between male and female employment

has reduced to an almost equal distribution.

Table 4: ICT sector related figures, 2006-2010

2006 1 2007 1 2008 1 2009 1 2010

Establishments 2 in ICT sector (number) 108 116 129 134 139

Employment 2 in the ICT sector(number)

7,970 10,170 11,250 12,360 12,826

Male 4,470 5,560 5,970 6,610 6,787

Female 3,500 4,610 5,280 5,750 6,039

Employment in the ICT sector as a % of total employment

2.8 3.5 3.7 4.1 4.2

Value added in the ICT sector (Rs Million)

9,858 11,714 12,994 14,851 16,941

Value added in the ICT sector as a % of GDP

5.2 5.4 5.3 5.9 6.4

Growth rate in the ICT sector (%) 13.0 15.1 13.2 13.1 13.1

1 Revised

2 Large establishments, that is employing 10 or more persons Source: Economic and Social Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics – Statistics 2010, Statistics Mauritius

The general trend in employment in the sector has been increasing over the

years as depicted in Figure 1. The gap between male and female employment

in the ICT sector has sunk in the past few years. The total employment has

taken an upward trend and in light of the measures taken by the Government

and budget speech 2012, it will offer tremendous employment opportunities for

the youth who must be well equipped. Figure 1: Trend in employment in the ICT sector by gender, 2006 – 2010

Source: Adapted from Digest of Labour Statistics 2010 and historical series, Statistics Mauritius (2011)

At the beginning of 2012, the BOI had listed some 497 ICT/BPO companies that comprised both large and other than large organisations.

At the beginning of 2012, the BOI had listed some 497 ICT/BPO companies that comprised both large and other than large organisations.


17

2.5.1. Employment forecasts for the ICT Sector, 2011-2015

Nickell (1984)notes that industrialemploymenthasprovennotoriouslydifficult tomodelas itis related to numerous factors such as rapid technological development, consumers patterns, difficultiesfacedbyemployerstoforecastgrowth,industrialstructure,changesinthelevelofeconomic activity, government programmes and policies etc.

The assessment of labour market therefore has been a critical challenge to researchers, employment policy makers, manpower analysts and educational planners for decades, with the aim to avoid mismatch between manpower demand and supply for labour, whether appearing as structural unemployment or skills shortages impeding economic development.

To obtain a glimpse of the future trend in employment in the ICT Sector, a model based on linear regressionwasworked out. The figures from 2006 to 2010were obtained from the Economicand Social Indicators Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics. The number of employees in large establishments from 2011 to 2015 has been estimated by the HRDC and presented in Table 5. The upward trend in employment has been graphically presented in Figure 2.

Table 5: Projected number of employees in large establishments in ICT Sector

Year Number of employees in large establishments of ICT Sector

2006 7970

2007 10170

2008 11250

2009 12360

2010 12826

2011 14486

2012 15676

2013 16866

2014 18056

2015 19247


18

Figure 2: Trend in employment in the ICT Sector with forecasts, 2006-2015

Assumption: The Model is based on an extrapolation of the current trend in employment over time, assuming all the conditions or scenario remains unchanged.

Based on the projection, employment in large establishments is expected to reach 19 247 by 2015, representing an increase of around 50 percent from 2010.

The yearly average increase in employment is expected to lie between 7 and 13 percent.

29

Assumption: The Model is based on an extrapolation of the current trend in employment over

time, assuming all the conditions or scenario remains unchanged.

Based on the projection, employment in large establishments is expected to

reach 19 247 by 2015, representing an increase of around 50 percent from

2010.

The yearly average increase in employment is expected to lie between 7 and

13 percent.


19

3. MethodologyData collection was conducted during the months of July to October 2011. With a view to achieve the objectives of the Labour Shortage Survey 2011, the data to compile this report was captured from both primary and secondary sources. The primary source of data was a structured survey questionnaire sent out to various organisations operating in the ICT Sector. Quantitative data were backed up by qualitative information obtained through face to face semi-structured interviews of afewmajorlong-existingplayersofthelocalindustry.Thisalsohelpedtoconfirmandcomplementthefindingsofthesurvey.SecondarysourcesofdataincludedfiguresfromStatisticsMauritiusandother documents that related to the issue of skills in Mauritius.

A structured questionnaire (Annex II) was developed which comprised 4 sections with 33 questions. Awholepagewasdedicated todescriptionof theaimandobjectivesof the study,definitionsand interview administration details. Questions were rationally shared between closed and open-ended ones.

Section I assembled questions related to labour shortage at sector of operation level; Section II consisted of questions addressing labour shortage at organisation level, with particular focus on capturing data on current and future labour requirements and on recruitment and retention of employees in ICT firms; Section III enlisted questions on how to reduce the skills gap and increase employment; Section IV captured general details on each organisation surveyed.

The questionnaire was piloted in a few companies to ensure relevance of questions as well as to eliminate any discrepancy. Thirty-nine professional interviewers and eight supervisors were appointed to administer the structured questionnaire through face to face interviews. In order to ensureconsistencyindatacollection,abriefingsessionwascarriedout.Thisexercisealsoensuredthat each and every question was properly understood while answers were properly recorded thereafter.

The list of companies operating in the ICT Sector was obtained from the Levy Grant database 2011 and the National Human Resource Development Plan 2009 database. 100 companies were randomly selectedfromthatdatabaseensuringarepresentativesamplethroughstratificationintermsofthe number of employees. Companies that could not be contacted (because of reasons like change of name, closure or refusal to participate) were replaced by companies of similar characteristics. Followingdatacollection,questionnaireswereverifiedforcompletenessfollowedbydataentryinStatisticalPackagefortheSocialSciences(SPSS)18.0.Thefinaldatabase,afterdatacleaningandvalidation comprised entries from 95 companies. The main activities of the companies included in thefinalanalysisaredescribedinTable6,onwhichthefindingsofthestudyarebased.


20

Table 6 : Main activities of the ICT Sector in the sample

Main activity Number of Percentage Worker Specialised Professional companies Worker Staff

Hardware Consultancy 14 15 36 172 146

ITES/BPO 35 37 107 4133 1501

Software Consultancy and supply 27 28 76 321 615

Telecommunications 13 14 66 762 452

Other computer related activities 6 6 6 81 26

TOTAL 95 100 291 5469 2740

The ICT sector comprises manufacturing activities, telecommunications services, wholesale and retail trade and other activities such as call centres, software development, website development and hosting, multimedia, IT consulting and disaster recovery.

Hence,thesurveysamplecomprisedfirmsmostlyinvolvedincallcentre/BPO(35percent)followedby those involved in software development.

Data analyses and report writing were carried out in November and December 2011. Simple univariate (frequency runs) and bivariate analyses (cross- tabulations) were conducted. For questions 20 and 21, after grouping the common reasons/measures, a score of 30 was allocated to each response ranked 1st, a score of 20 for each response ranked 2nd and a score of 10 for each response ranked 3rd. As there were not many responses ranked 4th and 5th, they were merged with the 3rd response for each question respectively.

Forthepurposeofthisstudy,theskilllevelofemployeeshasbeenclassifiedinto3broadcategoriesnamelyWorkers,SpecialisedworkersandProfessionalstaff.Abriefdefinitionofthese3categoriesof employees appeared on the front page of the questionnaire to ensure that respondents were on the same wavelength with regard to the different skill level of employees.

Employee classification

Employeeshavebeenclassifiedintothree(3)broadcategories:

1. Worker: A worker is a labourer or non-technical staff. Their work is mostly manual and repetitive. Examples include salesperson.

2. Specialised worker: A specialised worker requires some form of education or training to master skills. Their work is mostly repetitive, but requires a level of skill or understanding that is slightly more sophisticated than manual work. Examples include Tele-agent, IT Technician.

3. Professional staff: Professional staff is more independent and perform a variety of tasks. Theyrequireahigherlevelofeducationand/orexperiencetobeabletofulfilltheirroles.Examples include Software Engineer, Computer Network Specialist.


21

4. Findings of labour shortage survey4.1. Sector and employment profile

4.1.1. Employee distribution by category

The three categories of employees, namely, Workers, Specialised workers and Professional staff, werefairlywellrepresentedacrosstheICTfirms,withtheProfessionalstaffbeingemployedinmost of the companies (98 percent) followed by Specialised workers employed by 94 percent of the companies and Workers employed by 65 percent of the companies.

AstratificationofthetotalnumberofemployeesbyemployeecategoryrevealedthatSpecialisedworkers comprised the major chunk, representing 64 percent of the workforce, followed by 32 percent of Professional staff and 4 percent of Workers (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Composition of ICT sector workforce

Hence, itcanbeinferredthatthecurrent ICTsectorworkforcecanbequalifiedbasicallyasahighly skilled knowledge-intensive workforce.

Figure 4 gives a pictorial display of the proportion of different categories of staff per company size. The share of Workers decreases with size of the organisation and totally absent in organisations having more than 50 employees. Organisations having between 1 to 5 employees had the largest shareofWorkers.TheproportionofSpecialisedWorkersinflatedwhenthecompanysizeincreased.Itcan thus be deduced that the bigger the organisation, the larger the share of specialised Worker.

33

4. Findings of labour shortage survey

4.1. Sector and employment profile

4.1.1. Employee distribution by category

The three categories of employees, namely, Workers, Specialised workers and

Professional staff, were fairly well represented across the ICT firms, with the

Professional staff being employed in most of the companies (98 percent)

followed by Specialised workers employed by 94 percent of the companies and

Workers employed by 65 percent of the companies.

A stratification of the total number of employees by employee category

revealed that Specialised workers comprised the major chunk, representing 64

percent of the workforce, followed by 32 percent of Professional staff and 4

percent of Workers (Figure 3).

Hence, it can be inferred that the current ICT sector workforce can be qualified

basically as a highly skilled knowledge-intensive workforce.

Figure 4 gives a pictorial display of the proportion of different categories of staff per

company size. The share of Workers decreases with size of the organisation and

totally absent in organisations having more than 50 employees. Organisations having

between 1 to 5 employees had the largest share of Workers. The proportion of

Specialised Workers inflated when the company size increased. It can thus be deduced

that the bigger the organisation, the larger the share of specialised Worker.

Professional staff 32%

Worker 4%

Specialised worker

64%


22

Figure 4: Proportion of employee categories by size of company

4.1.2. Size of workforce of companies included in the survey

Basedonthesurveyoutcomes,itwasobservedthatthemajorityoffirmsintheICTsectorweremostly small to medium sized organisations as depicted in Table 7. In fact, 22 percent of the companies employed at most 10 people while 37 percent of companies employed between 11 to 50 employees . A little more than 20 percent of companies had a workforce of more than 100 people.

34



Based on the survey outcomes, it was observed that the majority of firms in

the ICT sector were mostly small to medium sized organisations1 as depicted in

Table 7. In fact, 22 percent of the companies employed at most 10 people

while 37 percent of companies employed between 11 to 50 employees2. A little

more than 20 percent of companies had a workforce of more than 100 people.

1 For the purpose of this study, a company employing between 1 and 10 employees has been considered to be small, a medium company employing 11-50 employees and a large company employing more than 50 employees. 2 Both full-time and part-time.


23

Table 7: Number of companies by size of workforce and by main activities of ICT companies included in the survey

Hardware Software Telecommunications Other Total Percentage Consultancy ITES/BPO Consultancy computer and supply related activities

2-5 employees 5 0 3 0 0 8 8

6-10 employees 2 1 5 1 4 13 14

11-50 employees 5 12 12 4 2 35 37

51-100 employees 2 6 5 4 0 17 18

101-200 employees 0 7 2 2 0 11 12

201-300 employees 0 2 0 1 0 3 3

301-500 employees 0 5 0 1 0 6 6

More than 500 employees 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 Total 14 35 27 13 6 95 100

4.1.3. Terms of employment (full-time versus part-time employment)

This research provides considerable evidence to support the contention that ICT jobs are typically full-time with relatively longer working hours. Part-time employment in this sector did not seem tobeacommonpractice,withthreeoutofeveryfourfirmsnotemployinganypart-timeworkers.77 percent of the organisations did not employ anyone on part-time basis and 15 percent employed up to 9 part-time workers (Table 8).

Table 8: Percentage of part-time employees in ICT firms

Number of employees on part-time basis Percentage of organisationsNone 771 to 9 1910 to 50 3Above 100 1Total 100

4.1.4. Expatriate workers in the ICT Sector

Thetotalnumberofexpatriatesemployedbythe46firms(representing48percent)was237andwere mostly Professional staff and Specialised Workers.

34



Based on the survey outcomes, it was observed that the majority of firms in

the ICT sector were mostly small to medium sized organisations1 as depicted in

Table 7. In fact, 22 percent of the companies employed at most 10 people

while 37 percent of companies employed between 11 to 50 employees2. A little

more than 20 percent of companies had a workforce of more than 100 people.

1 For the purpose of this study, a company employing between 1 and 10 employees has been considered to be small, a medium company employing 11-50 employees and a large company employing more than 50 employees. 2 Both full-time and part-time.


24

Table 9: Number of expatriates by employee category and main activity

Main activity Total number Specialised worker Professional of employees Number of Number of expats % expats %

Hardware Consultancy 354 - - 2 1

ITES/BPO 5741 23 - 63 1

Software Consultancy and supply 1012 5 - 33 3

Telecommunications 1280 40 3 58 5

Other computer related activities 113 10 9 2 2

Total 8500 78 1 158 2

Note: Percentage represents percentage of expatriates out of the total number of employees for the respective company. Only 1 expatriate was classified as Worker.

1337 Occupation Permits were issued for Professionals by the Board of Investment (BOI) from October 2006 to January 2012. The most recurrent job titles for which Work Permits were issued by the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations in 2011 were:

Software Developer;��

Software Engineer;��

Telecommunications Technician;��

Telecommunications Engineer;��

IT Developer;��

IT Technician;��

Telecommunications Lineman;��

Project Manager; and��

Translator.��

The number of work permits issued in the ICT Sector from 2008 to 2011 is presented in Table 10.

Table 10: Work permits issued in the ICT Sector, 2008-2011

2008 2009 2010 2011

Male 268 221 255 275

Female 61 50 69 66

TOTAL 329 271 324 341

Source: Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations & Employment, 2012


25

4.1.5. Educational Requirement in the ICT Sector

Educationalqualificationwasnotalwaysaprerequisite tobe recruitedasaWorker in the ICTsector.However,peopleneedtobesufficientlyqualifiedinordertoberecruitedasSpecialisedworker and Professional staff.

The requirement to be employed as Specialised workers included university degrees, vocational qualifications or completion of academic studies up to secondary level. Professional staffrequirement varied mainly from secondary education to post-graduate degree.

Table 11: Percentage of organisations employing different categories of staff per minimum educational level

Minimum educational level required Percentage of organisations employing

Worker Specialised worker Professional staff

Education not important 10 - -

Incomplete primary 13 1 -

CPE passed 23 - -

Incomplete secondary 32 2 -

SC passed 19 18 1

HSC passed - 47 10

Vocationalqualification 3 12 2

Professionalqualification - 3 20

University diploma - 11 23

Bachelor degree - 3 31

Post-graduate - 1 13

Total 100 100 100

4.1.6. Working experience as a requirement in the ICT Sector

“Budget 2012 recognises the need to facilitate the rising trend of women seeking employment and will try to break the vicious circle for youth. No jobs without previous experience, and no experience without a previous job.”

As depicted at Table 12, nearly 40 percent of the companies surveyed were of the view that experience was necessary for Workers whereas desirable by some 37 percent of companies. For SpecialisedWorker and Professional staff, experiencewas definitely a pre-requisite given thelevel of responsibility shouldered by these categories of employees. Yet, in the absence of people withtherequiredexperience,companieshavetodothepreliminarytrainingtofilltheskillsgapin-house.


26

Table 12: Experience required per employee category

Percentage of organisationsLevel of experience required Worker Specialised worker Professional staff

Definitelyrequire 39 78 84Depends 37 19 15Not at all 24 3 1

Total 100 100 100

Apollo Blake

The head office of Apollo Blake is based in America. It started operating in 2008 with 30 employees and a single American client. Today it has 300 employees and 13 high calibre clients (both American and European). It expanded its horizon to explore the Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) industry in 2011. Its turnover is over MRU 100m. It is the first company in Mauritius to do LPO for the American market. Its activities include selling via chat, customer service (inbound customer service). LPO represents some one tenth of the total activities.

It employs people mainly holding an HSC and SC with experience though graduates in language are also recruited. Its labour turnover is less than 4%. Yet, it faces difficulty in recruiting people with French writing skills. In the event of recruitment, written test is effected to test candidate’s French writing skills following which they are trained using a customised curriculum.

Internal promotion is a practice and managers are mainly locals. Employee well-being is a mantra that is lived in the organisation.


27

4.2. Labour shortage status

Employers’ perception on the gravity of labour shortage was gauged at three levels, namely the national level, sectoral level and organisational level.

With a relatively high level of unemployment, they all highlighted that there was a problem of mismatchinthelabourmarket.Theywerewillingtorecruitpeoplebuttheycouldnotfindtherightpersontofillthevacantpositions.

4.2.1. Perception about labour shortage at the national level

A few questions in the questionnaire aimed at gauging the perception of employers about labour shortage status across all sectors in Mauritius.

Notably, more than 70 percent of employers felt that Mauritius was experiencing labour shortage at the national level. 35 percent felt that it was extremely severe compared to 59 percent who thought the situation was tolerable. The results are presented in Figure 5. A small proportion indicated that was not severe at all. On the other side, 45 900 people were unemployed in the third quarter of 2011 according to Statistics Mauritius. 18 percent had not reached CPE, 40 percent did not have SC. 66 percent had working experience.

39

4.2. Labour shortage status

Employers’ perception on the gravity of labour shortage was gauged at three

levels, namely the national level, sectoral level and organisational level.

With a relatively high level of unemployment, they all highlighted that there

was a problem of mismatch in the labour market. They were willing to recruit

people but they could not find the right person to fill the vacant positions.

4.2.1. Perception about labour shortage at the national level

A few questions in the questionnaire aimed at gauging the perception of

employers about labour shortage status across all sectors in Mauritius.

Notably, more than 70 percent of employers felt that Mauritius was

experiencing labour shortage at the national level. 35 percent felt that it was

extremely severe compared to 59 percent who thought the situation was

tolerable. The results are presented in Figure 5. A small proportion indicated

that was not severe at all. On the other side, 45 900 people were unemployed

in the third quarter of 2011 according to Statistics Mauritius. 18 percent had

not reached CPE, 40 percent did not have SC. 66 percent had working

experience.

Figure 5: Do you agree that Mauritius is experiencing labour shortage?

How severe do you think the labour shortage is?

Figure 5: Do you agree that Mauritius is experiencing labour shortage?


28

4.2.2. Perception of labour shortage in the ICT sector

More than half of the respondents opined that the ICT sector was facing labour shortage as highlighted in Figure 6. Among those who said that this sector was enduring a labour shortage, 20 percent were of the view that this situation would persist over the next 5 years. However, 30 percent stated that it would worsen. Nearly half of the respondents expressed optimism that the situation would improve.

4.2.3. Labour shortage within the company

More than 70 of respondents indicated a labour shortage at the national level and more than 50 percent indicated such a shortage in the ICT Sector. There appears to be a slight disconnect between perception and reality. In the ICT sector, practically two third of the respondents stated that their organisations were not facing any labour shortage. The result is depicted in Figure 7.

A further analysis in terms of sub-sectors revealed that 51 percent of organisations indicated a labour shortage issue in the ITES/BPO sub-sector. In the Hardware Consultancy sub-sector, 43 percentofrespondentssaidthattheirsub-sectorswerenotfacinganylabourdeficit.Theresultsare depicted in Figure 8.

40

4.2.2. Perception of labour shortage in the ICT sector

More than half of the respondents opined that the ICT sector was facing labour

shortage as highlighted in Figure 6. Among those who said that this sector was

enduring a labour shortage, 20 percent were of the view that this situation

would persist over the next 5 years. However, 30 percent stated that it would

worsen. Nearly half of the respondents expressed optimism that the situation

would improve.

Figure 6: Perception of labour shortage at sector level

How do you foresee this labour shortage over the next 5 years in your sector of operation?

41

4.2.3. Labour shortage within the company

More than 70 of respondents indicated a labour shortage at the national level

and more than 50 percent indicated such a shortage in the ICT Sector. There

appears to be a slight disconnect between perception and reality. In the ICT

sector, practically two third of the respondents stated that their organisations

were not facing any labour shortage. The result is depicted in Figure 7.

A further analysis in terms of sub-sectors revealed that 51 percent of

organisations indicated a labour shortage issue in the ITES/BPO sub-sector. In

the Hardware Consultancy sub-sector, 43 percent of respondents said that

their sub-sectors were not facing any labour deficit. The results are depicted in

Figure 8.

Do you think there will be a net increase in the number of employees by 2012 in your organisation?

Figure 7: Do you have labour shortage in your organisation currently?


29

Figure 8: Existence of labour shortage in the ICT Sector per sub-sector

4.3. Future labour requirement in ICT firms

Nearly two-third of the respondents (59 percent) stated that there would be an increase in the number of employees in their organisations in 2012 as depicted in Figure 9 indicating their intention to recruit this year. This would imply further opportunities for job seekers.

Figure 9: Will there be a net increase in the number of employees in 2012 in organisations?

42

Figure 8: Existence of labour shortage in the ICT Sector per sub-sector

43

4.3. Future labour requirement in ICT firms

Nearly two-third of the respondents (59 percent) stated that there would be an

increase in the number of employees in their organisations in 2012 as depicted

in Figure 9 indicating their intention to recruit this year. This would imply

further opportunities for job seekers.

Figure 9: Will there be a net increase in the number of employees in 2012 in organisations?

The top ten jobs in demand in the sample of 95 ICT companies are presented

in Table 13. Appendix I details the list of jobs. Employers, in the absence of

local capabilities, had to seek competencies from foreign countries. The work

permits issued by the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations were in line

with the requirements of the employers as depicted at Table 14. Demand for

ICT Professionals spans from entrant to specialist level jobs (such as software

developers, software engineers) to senior positions (such as senior software

engineers). Of the positions named, a large majority were programming-type

positions after jobs in the ITES/BPO sub-sector. The range of programming

skills sought was extremely varied, with Java being the most popular.

Table 13: Top ten jobs that would be required, 2011-2015

No. Job title 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Qualification required

1. Tele Sales Agent 290 225 SC /HSC passed 2. Software Developer (Inclu Java, php) 52 47 20 10 10 HSC passed/University

diploma/Bachelor degree 3. Customer Care Assistant 50 HSC passed

4. Online Interviewer 45 HSC passed

5. French & English Speaker 35 Vocational qualification

6. Senior/Software Engineer 32 2 Bachelor degree

7. Accounts Officer 22 30 Professional qualification

Out of those who said yes, 43 percent were from ITES/BPO sub-sector and 31 percent from Software Development.


30

The top ten jobs in demand in the sample of 95 ICT companies are presented in Table 13. Appendix I details the list of jobs. Employers, in the absence of local capabilities, had to seek competencies from foreign countries. The work permits issued by the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations were in line with the requirements of the employers as depicted at Table 14. Demand for ICT Professionals spans from entrant to specialist level jobs (such as software developers, software engineers) to senior positions (such as senior software engineers). Of the positions named, a large majority were programming-type positions after jobs in the ITES/BPO sub-sector. The range of programming skills sought was extremely varied, with Java being the most popular.

Table 13: Top ten jobs that would be required, 2011-2015


1. Tele Sales Agent 290 225 SC /HSC passed

2. Software Developer (Inclu Java, php) 52 47 20 10 10 HSC passed/University diploma/Bachelor degree

3. Customer Care Assistant 50 HSC passed


5. French&EnglishSpeaker 35 Vocationalqualification


7. AccountsOfficer 22 30 Professionalqualification

8. Call Taking Specialist 20 HSC passed

9. Computer Network Specialist 20 30 Bachelor degree

10. Moderator 20 SC/HSC passed

4.4. Labour shortage as defined by employers of the sector

Inalmostallcases,experiencewasputbeforequalifications.Asfarasexperienceisconcernedwhichis closely tied to specialisation and expertise, nearly 70 percent of the respondents highlighted lackofpeoplewithrequiredsufficientworkingexperienceandqualificationtobethemaincauseof labour shortage as shown in Figure 10.

44


8. Call Taking Specialist 20 HSC passed 9. Computer Network Specialist 20 30 Bachelor degree 10. Moderator 20 SC/HSC passed


In almost all cases, experience was put before qualifications. As far as

experience is concerned which is closely tied to specialisation and expertise,

nearly 70 percent of the respondents highlighted lack of people with required

sufficient working experience and qualification to be the main cause of labour

shortage as shown in Figure 10.

Almost three-quarter of the respondents described labour shortage as a lack of

both technical and soft skills as shown in Figure 11. Employers are putting

more and more emphasis on the acquisition of soft skills besides technical

skills. In today’s world of work, such skills make a difference to give a

competitive edge to organisations.

69

22 10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Lack of people with bothqualifications and past

working experience

Lack of people withsufficient past working

experience only

Qualifications only(certificates)

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

0

20

40

60

80

75

14 12

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

For 22 percent of respondents, deficit of sufficient working experience in the field was the hurdle.

Employers generally look for professional qualifications backed by considerable experience.

Figure 10: Description of Labour shortage terms of qualifications and past work experience


31

Almost three-quarter of the respondents described labour shortage as a lack of both technical and soft skills as shown in Figure 11. Employers are putting more and more emphasis on the acquisition of soft skills besides technical skills. In today’s world of work, such skills make a difference to give a competitive edge to organisations.

4.4.1. Reasons for the labour shortage in the ICT sector

‘Lack of technical skills’, ‘wrong attitude towards work’, ‘training and education systems that do notmeetthemarketdemands’and‘lackofproficiencyinICT’wereamongthemainconstraintsput forward by the respondents. Unwillingness to work on shift, low wages and unfavourable working conditions still seem to reduce the attractiveness of the BPO sector though the ICT Sector is governed by the Employee Rights and Relations Act 2008. More causes are depicted in Figure 12.

Figure 12: Reasons for labour shortage in the ICT sector

45

4.4.1. Reasons for the labour shortage in the ICT sector

‘Lack of technical skills’, ‘wrong attitude towards work’, ‘training and education

systems that do not meet the market demands’ and ‘lack of proficiency in ICT’

were among the main constraints put forward by the respondents.

Unwillingness to work on shift, low wages and unfavourable working conditions

still seem to reduce the attractiveness of the BPO sector though the ICT Sector

is governed by the Employee Rights and Relations Act 2008. More causes are

depicted in Figure 12.

Figure 12: Reasons for labour shortage in the ICT sector

33

33

43

47

49

51

53

55

63

73

78

78

80

80

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Unfavourable conditions of employment compared to other sectors

Not sufficient job security compared to other sectors

Low wages compared to other sectors

Employees not willing to work overtime

People have a negative opinion about this sector

Employees not willing to adopt flexi time

People are not sufficiently proficient in numeracy

Employees not willing to work on shift

People are not sufficiently proficient in language

People do not have the right attitude toward work

Education system does not meet market demands

People are not sufficiently proficient in ICT

Training system does not meet market demands

People are not sufficiently proficient in technical skills

Percentage of respondents

Figure 11: Description of labour shortage in terms of lack of technical and soft skills

44


8. Call Taking Specialist 20 HSC passed 9. Computer Network Specialist 20 30 Bachelor degree 10. Moderator 20 SC/HSC passed


In almost all cases, experience was put before qualifications. As far as

experience is concerned which is closely tied to specialisation and expertise,

nearly 70 percent of the respondents highlighted lack of people with required

sufficient working experience and qualification to be the main cause of labour

shortage as shown in Figure 10.

Almost three-quarter of the respondents described labour shortage as a lack of

both technical and soft skills as shown in Figure 11. Employers are putting

more and more emphasis on the acquisition of soft skills besides technical

skills. In today’s world of work, such skills make a difference to give a

competitive edge to organisations.

69

22 10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Lack of people with bothqualifications and past

working experience

Lack of people withsufficient past working

experience only

Qualifications only(certificates)

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

0

20

40

60

80

75

14 12

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

For 22 percent of respondents, deficit of sufficient working experience in the field was the hurdle.

Employers generally look for professional qualifications backed by considerable experience.

Lack of people withboth technical skillsto do the job and

soft skills

Lack of people with technical

skills to do the job

Lack of people with soft skills

(e.g attitude, team spirit etc.)


32

4.5. Current quality and level of skills in the ICT Sector

In general, the majority of respondents said that their current employees (78 percent of Specialised workers, 87 percent of Professional staff and 57 percent of Worker) were satisfactorily meeting thebasicskillsrequirementsofthesector.Thisresultisinlinewiththepreviousfindingswhereemployers expressed their views regarding labour shortage at organisational level.

65 percent of companies employed Workers, 94 percent of companies employed Specialised worker and 98 percent of companies employed Professional Staff. As shown in Figure 13, 57 percent of Workers were meeting the skills requirements of employers but on the other hand around 35 percent of employers said that this question was not applicable for the same category of employees since they did not employ Workers.

This study attempted to measure the importance assigned by employers to soft skills like communications, team spirit, innovation and customer care. Besides possessing the required technical skills in today’s world of work, people’s skills are becoming pivotal. Soft skills have lotsofsignificance inthe ICTSectoressentiallyfortheProfessionalstaffcategoryfollowedbySpecialised worker. The survey revealed that soft skills were extremely important for the majority of respondents (more than 90 percent for Specialised staff) as depicted in Figure 14. Soft skills were considered least important for the Worker category of the ICT Sector given their nature of work.

46

4.5. Current quality and level of skills in the ICT Sector

In general, the majority of respondents said that their current employees (78

percent of Specialised workers, 87 percent of Professional staff and 57 percent

of Worker) were satisfactorily meeting the basic skills requirements of the

sector. This result is in line with the previous findings where employers

expressed their views regarding labour shortage at organisational level.

65 percent of companies employed Workers, 94 percent of companies

employed Specialised worker and 98 percent of companies employed

Professional Staff. As shown in Figure 13, 57 percent of Workers were meeting

the skills requirements of employers but on the other hand around 35 percent

of employers said that this question was not applicable for the same category

of employees since they did not employ Workers.

57

5 3

35

78

1

14 7

87

1

9

2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Meets basic requirements Does not meet basicrequirements

Requires upgrade Not applicable

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Worker

Specialised worker

Professional staff

Figure 13: Status of skills among existing pool of skills in the ICT sector

Perc

enta

ge o

f re

spon

dent

s


33

Figure 14: Importance attached to soft skills in the ICT Sector

4.5.1. Scarcity Areas

TheICTisarelativelyhighlyskilledindustry.Asignificantnumberof ICTprofessionalsdohaveacademicqualificationsandtechnicalcapacitythatprovideasolidfoundationtosecureajob.Duringthesurvey,employersstatedthattheywerefacingdifficultiesinrecruitingpeoplewith:

B.Sc. Software Engineering;��

Degree in IT;��

B.Sc. Computer Science;��

B.Sc Telecommunication & Networking; and��

B.A. Languages (French, English, etc).��

People having skills and competence in wireless technologies, web page development, security managementwasalsoscarce.Theneedtorecruitpeoplewithcertificationcourseswasalsovoicedout but essentially with a solid combination of formal education and experience. Additionally, employersexpressedtheirdifficultytofindpeoplewithveryhightechnicalcapabilities.

Again,thescarcityareasrevolvearoundqualificationslikesoftwareengineeringanddegreeinITwhich cascade down to occupations like software engineers/developers for which work permits have been issued recently.

47

This study attempted to measure the importance assigned by employers to soft

skills like communications, team spirit, innovation and customer care. Besides

possessing the required technical skills in today’s world of work, people’s skills

are becoming pivotal. Soft skills have lots of significance in the ICT Sector

essentially for the Professional staff category followed by Specialised worker.

The survey revealed that soft skills were extremely important for the majority

of respondents (more than 90 percent for Specialised staff) as depicted in

Figure 14. Soft skills were considered least important for the Worker category

of the ICT Sector given their nature of work.

Figure 14: Importance attached to soft skills in the ICT Sector


34

4.5.2. Difficulty filling jobs

Employers stated the reasons as towhy itwas difficult to recruit skilled labour.The top fivedifficultiesrevolvearoundlackofqualifiedpeopleandskilledlabour,issueofbraindrain,highsalary expectations, lack of trained people with relevant working experience and lack of focus on vocational training programmes. The reasons are tabulated in Table 14 starting with the most difficulttofind.

A noteworthy index on brain drain pitched Mauritius at 77th with a score of 3.2.

Within the sector, a heightened degree of flexibility is expected from the employee. Morespecifically,employeesareexpectedtoworkatatypicalhoursgiventhenatureofthework.TheICT staff seemed to show no major problem in picking up and moving on, though some work still remains to be done.

Table 14: Reasons stated by employers as to why it is difficult to recruit skilled labour in Mauritius

No. Reasons stated by employers as to why it is difficult to recruit skilled labour in Mauritius (most cited to least cited)

1. Lackofqualifiedandskilledlabourinsomefields.2. Brain drain. Skilled labour prefers to move abroad. Many youngsters are going abroad

to study and work. Better opportunities abroad, People going abroad for better pay. Professionalswhoarehighlyqualifiedarepaidhighersalariesabroad.

3. High salary expectations (workforce in Mauritius is too demanding in terms of pay). Salary expectation of skilled labour is high. They need high salary from the beginning itself. Skilled labour demand high salary. Skilled labour cost too much. Skilled labour want too high wages.

4. Lack of trained people with working experience. People do not give much importance to vocational training programmes. People are more geared towards academic than technical studies.Peopledonothavetherightqualification.

5. Skilledandqualifiedpeopleprefertoworkinbigcompaniesandpreferorganisationsthatoffergoodcareerprospect.Difficulttoattractskilledpeopleinsmallfirms.

6. Education system does not meet market demands. Poor quality of tertiary education system. Courses offered by educational institutions do not meet labour market requirement. Business expectations and requirements do not match the market demands. Not enough skilled people are being produced by training institutions. Training institutions are working isolated from business community.

7. Graduates produced by University of Mauritius are not up to expected level. Universities centered on academic side only. University is not providing the right modules.

8. Lowremunerationproposed,Theyarenotwellpaid.Skilled labourarenotsufficientlypaid. The remuneration package is not attractive enough for key talents.

9. SpecificskillsdoesnotexistinMauritius.Therightskillsarenotavailable.10. There is no diversity among the employees, They are not multi-skilled.11. Aspecificorganisationtohelptheunemployeddoesnotexist.12. Lack of job placement in syllabus/program of study.13. Appropriate training is not available.14. Candidates do not possess the right attitude towards work. They lack “culture

d’entreprise”.15. Candidates are unwilling to work odd hours. Many people do not work during week-ends.

Mauritians are not always willing to work hard.


35

16. Conditions of work are not favourable. Working conditions are not attractive enough.17. In some regions there is lack of skilled labour and people from other region are not ready

to move long distances.18. Inappropriatetransportsystemmakesitdifficulttorecruitpeopleallaroundthecountry.19. Inappropriatepersonalprofilesofskilledlabour.20. Labour turnover too high. Lack of stability from job seekers. They tend to leave after some

time.21. Lackofconfidence.22. Lack of job security.23. Language skill (English/French) very poor.24. May be employers adopt inadequate recruitment strategy.25. Mismatch between demand and supply.26. Pool of skilled labour growing old.27. There is high competition to recruit the best. Too much competition to recruit key

talents.28. Employees are too ambitious.

In lightofthemanydifficulties,anumberofsuggestionshasbeenmadebyemployersnamelyto revise the tertiary level curriculum since according to them it does not meet the market requirements, to focus on soft skills as well since youngsters seem to lack a ‘culture d’entreprise’ and to conduct regular research on labour shortage so that training could be delivered depending on market requirements. More so, the variable nature of ICT over time requires ICT professionals toregularlyredefineandreassesstheirroles,functionsandskillrequirements.

Thelinkagesbetweenfirms,researchinstitutionsandeducation/trainingarehoweverrelativelyweak in the sector and often grieved upon by all. Partially as a response to these weak linkages, the Government responded to both the shortages on the labour market as well as to the lack of skilled ICT labour, by initiating the ICT Centre of Excellence which is a form of ‘corporate university’. This centre is meant to provide ‘fast track’ talent and provide effective mechanisms for aligning company strategy and interests with labour force skill levels. Access to courses available viathecentrewillalsobepartandparcelofthesecondaryemploymentbenefitsusedtoattracttoptalent,wherethelabourmarketisbeingaffirmedascompetitive.Asuccessfulrolloutcouldprovide a new impetus to the sector and new growth perspectives. The many proposals made by employers to reduce mismatch of labour are elaborated in Table 15 which requires concerted efforts of employers, associations, education/training providers and other stakeholders.


36

Table 15: Suggestions by employers regarding the measures to reduce mismatch

May be implemented mainly by HRDC SN Suggestions by employers regarding the measures to reduce mismatch

1. Enable more job placements during studies to make students aware of the workplace needs

2. Provide more career guidance and organise job fairs to allow job seekers know the requirements of employers, before enrolling for higher studies to make them aware of the employers requirement

3. Promote development of soft skills 4. Annual survey on labour shortage, survey different sectors regularly 5. Carry out TNA before setting up training programmes 6. Conduct regular surveys in sectors where there is shortage of skilled labour & labour market

requirements 7. Offermorefacilitiessothatfirmscaninvestintraining8. Set up appropriate training programme that meets labour market requirement 9. Setupprofessionaltrainingprogrammesinfieldwherethereisskillscarcity10. More emphasis on vocationl training 11. Use levy grant to re-train employees 12. Training should be done according to demand forecasted jobs 13. Meeting with educational institutions 14. Evaluation of labour skills and abilities 15. More emphasis on quality of training courses rather than quantity 16. Provide more training in sectors that is short of skilled labour 17. Bring job seekers and employers on same platform 18. Ensure that training programmes being offered are up to the standard 19. Provide appropriate training using latest technology 20. Set up appropriate courses to reduce mismatch 21. Diversify skills of workers so that they can move from one sector to another. Encourage

people to be multi-skilled 22. Improve training standards 23. More training for school leavers

May be implemented by GovernmentSN Suggestions by employers regarding the measures to reduce mismatch

1. Academicqualificationshouldberevised.Revieweducationsystemregularlytoadapttochanging labour market requirements

2. Caterforforecasteddemandbytrainingpeopleintherequiredfields3. Channel skilled labour into proper sectors 4. Conduct a study on campanies needs. Conduct surveys to assess organisations’ needs5. Create innovative recruitment procedures 6. Create more job opportunities 7. Educate students about the value of manual work. Valorise all types of jobs. Give due value

to skilled 8. Emphasis on proper training through forecasting 9. Encourage people to learn more than one skills


37

10. Encourage school leavers to go for vocational training 11. Ensure that job seekers are aware of job vacancies 12. Establish communications between employers and educational institutions. Proper

consultation between educational institutions and employers. Set up a platform where training institutions and

13. Focus job placement in sectors experiencing labour shortage 14. Government should adopt realistic policies. Government is putting a lot of emphasis on

having 1 graduate per home. Will there be enough jobs? 15. Improve quality of education system. Improve vocational training standards. Improve

standards of universities. Provide more higher level courses to students. Courses should not be too theoretical.

16. Improve transport system so that people can travel at night for night shift 17. Improvement in law and regulation to ensure the right person is getting the right job(Political

backinghavingbackimpact-manyunqualifiedpeoplehavingjobs)18. Increase number of universities 19. Job counseling, Proper career guidance should be given to students 20. Make easy access for foreign students to come to Mauritius for more culture and knowledge

sharing to allow our student to open to the world challenges 21. More job placement 22. Morespecifictrainingtobedelivered23. More stringent laws on job security 24. Offer higher salary. Raise salary level in the country 25. Remove the maximum age limit set for candidates applying for government job 26. Set up an organisation to be responsible of channeling unemployed 27. Set up more tertiary education institutions, vocational training institutions 28. Tailor made courses to prospective employees 29. Encourage more enhancement programme for employees 30. Re-skilling programme when organisations close down 31. Provide on the job training to allow employees enhance their existing skills 32. Offer week-end courses in sectors where there is demand 33. Encourage people to continue study after HSC 34. Encourage training and internship 35. Provide compulsory job placement during studies to allow students to be more familiar

with the job requirements36. Provide more training to workers to make them more motivated and skillful 37. Provide more trainings and enhancement program to make job seekers multi-skilled 38. Focus on training needed by sectors experiencing shortage of skilled labour 39. Retrainskilledpeopletohelpthemadaptinadiversifiedenvironment40. Improve education and training policies41. Provide more training to workers to make them more motivated and skillful, multi-skilled 42. Provide practical training to school leavers 43. There must be more investment in training and education 44. Increase enrollment capacities in universities and technical school 45. Introduce more subjects to students to allow them to innovate and allow them to work

with the fast moving world challenges

May be implemented by GovernmentSN Suggestions by employers regarding the measures to reduce mismatch


38

4.6. Skills development initiatives

4.6.1. Budget allocation for training

The results of this study had painted a grey picture of the status of skills development of this sector. Table 16 depicts the provision of training budget where 22 percent of ICT companies had no training budget at all. 3 out of every 4 organisations allocated 1 percent or more of their budget for training purposes. Nevertheless, another reading could be that ITES/BPO companies may not have training budget as a caption but training could be under operation or transition budget or knowledge transfer since eventually all ITES/BPO companies deliver product training being a pre–requisite to meet the service level agreement. Putting the lens closer, 31 percent of companies in ITES/BPO invested 6 percent or more on training compared to only 19 percent of companies involved in software development (7 percent for hardware consultancy and 8 percent for telecommunications).

Table 16: Percentage of budget allocated to training by organisations in ICT

Percentage of total budget Number of Percentage ofallocated to training organisations organisations

None 21 22

Less than 1 1 1

1-3 31 33

4-5 24 25

6 or more 18 19

Of those companies that budgeted less than 6 percent for training, 36 percent said they suffer from a labourshortage.Ofthosethatbudgetedmorethan6percent,61percentdeploredalabourdeficitin their organisation. It should be noted here that under the Pre-Operational Training Incentive (POTI) scheme, an advance is offered as incentive to attract investment in emerging sectors which require a relatively high level of initial skills. The HRDC provides an advance equivalent to 50 percentoftheestimatedqualifyingtrainingcostsduringthefirstyearofoperationoffirmswhichare in the process of being set up.

May be implemented by EmployersSN Suggestions by employers regarding the measures to reduce mismatch

1. Increase minimum salary of workers. Increase salary of skilled labour 2. Collaborate with universities and government. Organise regular meeting with educational

institutions3. Employ fresh graduates and offer them on-the-job training4. Hire expatriates5. More advert on available jobs6. More training for up-skilling7. Ongoing forecasting of manpower8. Rebranding of companies in order to attract skilled workers9. Recruit less foreign workers10. Organise regular forums for regrouping employers and training institutions11. Diversificationofactivities


39

4.6.2. Preferred mode for acquiring skills

The ICT companies acknowledged the importance of workplace-based training.

While the overwhelmingly preference was for “on-the-job training”, many attempted to address the issue of skills in-house.

The preference for on-the-job training might be the cause of many organisations not earmarking a training budget. As informal training, which is generally unstructured, is not generally approved/recognisedbytheMauritiusQualificationsAuthority(MQA),itcannotbefundedthroughtheLevyGrant System of the HRDC. Very often small organisations do not have a training department or lack staff to look into such matters. Seminars and overseas training were least popular in the ICT Sector. The organisations might not also have the necessary platform to engage in e-learning mode.ThefiguresarepresentedinTable17.

Table 17: Preference (top five) for acquiring the required skills for organisations in the ICT Sector

Most Second most Third most Fourth most Fifth most Total preferred preferred preferred preferred preferred (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

On-the-job 40 21 18 13 3 95

In-house 17 26 23 19 3 89

Seminars 1 13 12 20 28 74

Tailor-made courses 12 14 13 10 11 60

Learnership 9 6 6 10 16 49

Degree 8 7 6 3 8 34

Diploma 6 4 2 5 9 26

Certifiedshortcourses 3 4 12 13 9 41

Overseas training 2 2 6 2 7 20

E-learning 1 2 1 5 5 13

4.6.3. Skills development initiatives

Continual learning is vital in ICT professions in order to keep pace with technical developments. Knowledge and skills requirements evolve very rapidly and also become obsolete rapidly. Continuing training in the ICT sector involves not only the enhancement of ICT skills and knowledge, but also the development of managerial, organisational and interpersonal skills.

Among those who implemented skills development initiatives (representing 61 percent of employers), a large share (86 percent) used, essentially, training as a measure to address skills shortfall while re-training was utilised by 51 percent. Upskilling was adopted by 18 percent of employers together with other popular initiatives. The results are presented in Figure 15.


40

Figure 15: Initiatives to address skills shortage among existing employees in the ICT Sector

A recent German report3 states that “against the background of the demographic situation as well as structural and economic change, an increasing demand for skilled labour is the emerging trend”, requiring people to have an “ability to engage in lifelong learning”. It then diplomatically notes that “some school leavers do not have the required training maturity”.

Among the 37 percent of companies who did not have any such initiatives, 65 percent did not plan to curb the skills shortage of existing employees. This observation was in fact not in line with the findingthatmorethanhalfoftheemployersreportedlabourscarcity.However,enterprisesdidnotseem to adequately invest in skills development, at least through a proper planning in the wake of new challenges. One can also see the lack of initiatives in developing existing employees to meet future skills requirements. A few employers were still reluctant to see skills development as an extremely powerful tool in the arsenal of any organisation but then it requires unequivocal commitment and support at the highest levels of the organisation structure and non-negotiable adherence to its success requirements throughout all levels of the organisation. In many cases, the small size of organisations does not allow for such ventures. Yet, three quarter of the respondents in the ICT Sector stated having a strategicskillsdevelopmentplanasshowninFigure16.Thisfindingisincontradictionwiththeresult that 61 percent had skills development initiatives yet 75 percent had a skills development plan. This could be explained by the fact that a number of plans may not be implemented as intended.

57

structure and non-negotiable adherence to its success requirements

throughout all levels of the organisation. In many cases, the small size of

organisations does not allow for such ventures. Yet, three quarter of the

respondents in the ICT Sector stated having a strategic skills development plan

as shown in Figure 16. This finding is in contradiction with the result that 61

percent had skills development initiatives yet 75 percent had a skills

development plan. This could be explained by the fact that a number of plans

may not be implemented as intended.

4.6.4. Use of the National Training Fund (Levy Grant System)

The Levy Grant System is amongst the spectrum of training incentives

available in Mauritius to facilitate training and managed by the HRDC. This

survey found that a little more than one third of the ICT firms did not make

use of this training incentive as presented in Figure 17. These organisations

may not have a full-fledge HR department or dedicated resource person to look

into these details and ensure a proper follow-up. Others may not be aware of

such incentives that exist.

3“Ten Guidelines for the Modernization and Structural Improvement of Vocational Education and Training”, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Berlin, 2007, pages 12 and 14.

Figure 16: Strategic skills development plan for the organisation

56

Among those who implemented skills development initiatives (representing 61

percent of employers), a large share (86 percent) used, essentially, training as

a measure to address skills shortfall while re-training was utilised by 51

percent. Upskilling was adopted by 18 percent of employers together with

other popular initiatives. The results are presented in Figure 15.

Figure 15: Initiatives to address skills shortage among existing employees in the ICT Sector

A recent German report 3 states that "against the background of the demographic situation as well

as structural and economic change, an increasing demand for skilled labour is the emerging

trend", requiring people to have an "ability to engage in lifelong learning". It then diplo matically

notes that "some school leavers do not have the required training maturity".

Among the 37 percent of companies who did not have any such initiatives, 65

percent did not plan to curb the skills shortage of existing employees. This

observation was in fact not in line with the finding that more than half of the

employers reported labour scarcity. However, enterprises did not seem to

adequately invest in skills development, at least through a proper planning in

the wake of new challenges. One can also see the lack of initiatives in

developing existing employees to meet future skills requirements.

A few employers were still reluctant to see skills development as an extremely

powerful tool in the arsenal of any organisation but then it requires

unequivocal commitment and support at the highest levels of the organisation

3 "Ten Guidelines for the Modernization and Structural Improvement of Vocational Education and Training", Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Berlin, 2007, pages 12 and 14.

13

22

32

34

48

53

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Recruit new employees possessing the necessary skills

Improve benefits(non financial)

Improve wages

Up-skilling

Re-training

Training



41

4.6.4. Use of the National Training Fund (Levy Grant System)

The Levy Grant System is amongst the spectrum of training incentives available in Mauritius to facilitate training and managed by the HRDC. This survey found that a little more than one third of the ICT firms did notmake use of this training incentive as presented in Figure 17.Theseorganisationsmaynothaveafull-fledgeHRdepartmentordedicatedresourcepersontolookintothese details and ensure a proper follow-up. Others may not be aware of such incentives that exist.

4.6.5. Training Needs Analysis

Nearly 70 percent of ICT enterprises (Figure 18) conducted a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) thus resulting in properly planned and relevant training that is based on the industry current and future requirements. Again, the HRDC provides refund as support for conducting Training Needs Analysis to promote relevant training.

4.7. Recruitment and retention of employees

The issues at hand include both skills shortage as well as lack of required number of people interestedinjoiningthesectorasperpreviousfindingsofthereport.Inthefaceofsuchseriousskillshortages,itisexpectedthatfirmswouldimplementactivepoliciestoimprovethesituation.However, it should be noted that the career route possible for people to join the ICT especially BPO Sector is anyway restricted which does not make this sector attractive for job seekers but it serves more of an ‘échappatoire’ for a temporary job or a part-time job to meet current needs. Muchmoneyisinvestedinrecruitmentofcandidatestofilluppostsandvariousmeansareused.

58


Nearly 70 percent of ICT enterprises (Figure 18) conducted a Training Needs

Analysis (TNA) thus resulting in properly planned and relevant training that is

based on the industry current and future requirements. Again, the HRDC

provides refund as support for conducting Training Needs Analysis4 to promote

relevant training.


The issues at hand include both skills shortage as well as lack of required

number of people interested in joining the sector as per previous findings of

the report. In the face of such serious skill shortages, it is expected that firms

would implement active policies to improve the situation. However, it should be

noted that the career route possible for people to join the ICT especially BPO

Sector is anyway restricted which does not make this sector attractive for job

seekers but it serves more of an ‘échappatoire’ for a temporary job or a part-

time job to meet current needs. Much money is invested in recruitment of

candidates to fill up posts and various means are used.

4 Further information on incentives is available at the HRDC Website at www.hrdc.mu

Yes 67%

No 33%

Yes 68%

No 32%

Year Number of trainees

% claimed of the

amount contributed

2005/2006 1108 118

2006/2007 1230 111

2007/2008 1391 85

2008/2009 1452 121

(Source: HRDC, 2012)

Figure 18: Do you carry out any TNA before training your employees?

Figure 17: Do you use the Levy Grant System provided by the HRDC?

58


Nearly 70 percent of ICT enterprises (Figure 18) conducted a Training Needs

Analysis (TNA) thus resulting in properly planned and relevant training that is

based on the industry current and future requirements. Again, the HRDC

provides refund as support for conducting Training Needs Analysis4 to promote

relevant training.


The issues at hand include both skills shortage as well as lack of required

number of people interested in joining the sector as per previous findings of

the report. In the face of such serious skill shortages, it is expected that firms

would implement active policies to improve the situation. However, it should be

noted that the career route possible for people to join the ICT especially BPO

Sector is anyway restricted which does not make this sector attractive for job

seekers but it serves more of an ‘échappatoire’ for a temporary job or a part-

time job to meet current needs. Much money is invested in recruitment of

candidates to fill up posts and various means are used.

4 Further information on incentives is available at the HRDC Website at www.hrdc.mu

Yes 67%

No 33%

Yes 68%

No 32%

Year Number of trainees

% claimed of the

amount contributed

2005/2006 1108 118

2006/2007 1230 111

2007/2008 1391 85

2008/2009 1452 121

(Source: HRDC, 2012)

Figure 18: Do you carry out any TNA before training your employees?

Figure 17: Do you use the Levy Grant System provided by the HRDC?


42

4.7.1. Recruitment channels

Newspaper advertisements and use of the services of private recruitment agencies topped the list. Others had recourse to informal channels, particularly word of mouth followed by online recruitment agencies. Merely 4 percent used the free recruitment service provided by the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations.

Figure 19: Most preferred method of recruitment in the ICT Sector

Alargeshare(82percent)oftheorganisationsintheICTSectordidnotfaceanydifficultytoretaintheir people.

4.7.2. Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting new employees

Based on recent researches, the new skills requested by the ICT firms, besideseducational degree, are often qualities of personal nature. Factors like attitudes, the world-view, personal communication skills etc. are more important than before. The new needsarereflectingthechangestakingplacewithintheICTindustry,butalsointherelationshipbetween the ICT and other sectors. As depicted in Tables 19 to 21, past working experience was predominantlyplacedbeforequalificationsfortheWorkercategory.Theimportanceofeducationalqualificationsraisedhigherthehierarchicallayerofthecategoryofemployee.Otherrequirementswere mainly good work attitude for Workers and Specialised Workers.

59

The problem does not necessarily lie with the quantity of our human resources but with QUALITY.

4.7.1. Recruitment channels

Newspaper advertisements and use of the services of private recruitment

agencies topped the list. Others had recourse to informal channels, particularly

word of mouth followed by online recruitment agencies. Merely 4 percent used

the free recruitment service provided by the Ministry of Labour and Industrial

Relations.

Figure 19: Most preferred method of recruitment in the ICT Sector

A large share (82 percent) of the organisations in the ICT Sector did not face

any difficulty to retain their people.

4.7.2. Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting new employees Based on recent researches, the new skills

requested by the ICT firms, besides educational

degree, are often qualities of personal nature.

Factors like attitudes, the world-view, personal communication skills etc. are

more important than before. The new needs are reflecting the changes taking

place within the ICT industry, but also in the relationship between the ICT and

other sectors. As depicted in Tables 19 to 21, past working experience was

predominantly placed before qualifications for the Worker category. The

0 10 20 30 40

TV

Headhunting

Advert on own website

Government (Ministry of Labour & IR NEFdatabases)

Online recruitment agencies

Networking (word of mouth)

Newspapers

Private recruitment agencies

1

1

1

4

9

16

34

34


With regard to the reasons for recruitment

difficulties, majority of those surveyed

considered that there is too much competition

among employers for applicants; whilst others

complained about demand for high salary, many

employees sought opportunities abroad. Others

regarded the BPO Sector as having a bad image.

The challenge for this sector is now to build its

image and improve on its attractiveness in terms

of conditions of work and remuneration package.

The problem does not necessarily lie with the quantity of our human resources but with QUALITY.


43

Table 18: Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting Workers in the ICT Sector

Skillsandqualities Most Second Third Fourth Fifth Total Difficultyin preferred most most most most finding preferred preferred preferred preferred (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

Past experience 28 14 4 3 12 61 12

Work attitude 15 22 8 12 6 63 13

Educationalqualification 12 5 11 13 11 51 -

Technical skills 4 7 6 7 5 31 2

Communication 8 13 16 7 6 51 6

Decision making - 1 6 8 - 16 -

ICT 1 6 8 5 8 29 2

Analytical skills - - 3 2 2 7 1

Foreign language - - 3 - 2 5 1

Management skills - - - - 2 2 -

Affiliation - - - 1 2 3 -

Table 19: Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting Specialised worker in the ICT Sector


Educationalqualification 43 22 7 3 8 84 7


Work attitude 8 6 11 15 24 64 6

ICT 8 9 17 9 6 51 7


Decision making 3 - 6 12 11 32 1

Management skills 2 - 3 2 1 8 1

Analytical skills 1 3 7 15 4 31 2

Foreign language 1 5 3 3 1 14 2

Technical skills - 7 12 12 14 44 7

Affiliation - 2 1 3 - 6 1

“We now need to learn languages like Spanish, Italian, German

and even mandarin for Mauritius to tap a diverse range of markets in the global competitive environment”


44

Table 20: Skills and qualities employers look for when recruiting Professional Staff in the ICT Sector


Educationalqualification 51 18 4 8 5 86 10


Management skills 14 3 11 6 20 54 14

Work attitude 3 4 9 5 9 32 2


Decision making 3 12 16 17 18 65 6

ICT 3 12 7 8 3 34 2

Affiliation 1 2 5 4 2 15 -

Technical skills 1 3 7 12 8 32 1

Analytical skills 1 4 11 17 13 45 -

Foreign language - - 3 5 4 13 3

Moreover, “relational skills” (communication, team work, team management) receives increasing importance at the higher end of the ladder.

Skills requirements for all ICT professionals are constantly changing and there is a perpetual need for them to update their professional skills. There is a progressive hybridisation of skills taking place in ICT professions. Business and management skills are increasingly used alongside technical ones and indeed, technical skills seem less important in comparison to business and management skills as ICT Professionals progress in their career.

Employers argue that employees increasingly need a combination of both technical and management skills and that graduates do not acquire such skills through a university degree. They also argue that the graduates do not have management skills – but only technical skills. The challenge is to establish a stronger

linkbetween thehighereducation institutions and labourmarketdemands specific to the ICTSector.Thisisconfirmedbythefactthatmanagementskillswereapre-requisiteforProfessionalstaff.

“We have a generation of clever young people who lack basic written and communication skills, not to mention analytical talent”

Too many leave university without the right skills!


45

Accenture MauritiusAccenture, incorporated in 2001 started its operation in 2002 with a workforce of 10 people.

Today, it has reinforced its position with around 1200 employees in its 2 main lines of business

– Technology Outsourcing and Business Process Outsourcing. It intends to grow to 2000

employeesin5years’time.Willtheskillsgapbefilledandhow?

ItsmainBPOactivitycomprisesofvalue-addingfinance/accountingprocessesperformedby

ACCA levels 1-3. These processes include data entry, reporting and analysis where analytical

skills are essential. Clients are mostly from US and Europe. Technology Outsourcing mainly

comprises software development using technologies such as SAP and Oracle where functional

knowledge is vital (e.g. ERP packages and Business Intelligence).

Given that all its clients are based overseas, Accenture offers plenty of opportunities for

international exposure to its employees (including travel).

The company voiced out a spectrum of concerns ranging from

lack of interest of the young generation to join the ICT sector;��

lack of awareness among secondary and tertiary students of career opportunities in the ��

ICT sector;

lack of readiness of young graduates to adapt to a professional environment and ��

international standards;

limited skills set of fresh graduates especially with respect to soft skills.��

Every year, out of the 328 IT graduates coming from UOM and UTM, only 50% meet Accenture’s

requirements in terms of entry level requirements.

On top of young graduates, Accenture is also facing a very limited supply of experienced

labour in software development in the local market. Due to the growing business demand,

thecompanyhashadtorecruitexpatriatesathighercoststofillthegaps,butitisbecoming

more and more challenging to sustain this practice in the long term.


46

4.7.3. Difficulties in retaining skilled employees

It is perceived that the ICT and especially the BPO sector is prone to high labour turnover or labour mobility within the sector. This issue has been put forward by employers as a problem they face with the young generation.

Contrary to this perception, this study shed light on the fact that the ICT Sector as a whole might notbefacingmuchdifficultiesinretainingskilledlaboursincethestudyfoundthat82percentofrespondents were able to retain their skilled people as shown in Figure 20. This problem may be accentuated for the BPO sub-sector mainly as described below.

Thecompaniesfacedthefollowingdifficultiestoretainemployees:

Demand for higher pay by employees;��

Poaching by other companies who can pay better wages; ��

Lack of career prospect;��

Many move abroad;��

People do not join call centres for a career. They usually leave after 1 or 2 years. Many ��

join call centres normally on short term basis, they no longer want to work at odd hours or overtime. There is also negative opinion about call centre.

4.8. Measures proposed to fill skills gap

Further to the numerous issues faced, employers were requested to propose measures that could filltheskillsgap.MeasurescutacrosstheeducationandtrainingsystemandGovernmentpoliciesamongst others.

64

4.7.3. Difficulties in retaining skilled employees

It is perceived that the ICT and especially the BPO sector is prone to high

labour turnover or labour mobility within the sector. This issue has been put

forward by employers as a problem they face with the young generation.

Contrary to this perception, this study shed light on the fact that the ICT

Sector as a whole might not be facing much difficulties in retaining skilled

labour since the study found that 82 percent of respondents were able to retain

their skilled people as shown in Figure 20. This problem may be accentuated

for the BPO sub-sector mainly as described below.

The companies faced the following difficulties to retain employees:

Demand for higher pay by employees;

Poaching by other companies who can pay better wages;

Lack of career prospect;

Many move abroad;

People do not join call centres for a career. They usually leave after 1 or 2

years. Many join call centres normally on short term basis, they no longer want

to work at odd hours or overtime. There is also negative opinion about call

centre.

Yes 18%

No 82%

Figure 20: Does your organisation face any difficulty in retaining skilled people?


47

4.8.1. Education and Training system

The industry covers a broad range of activities and hence calls for a broad range of skills. Each sub-activity has unique characteristics and training needs. Some are more dynamic, more technology driven while others are more labour intensive. Hence the need for training courses should be designed with more focus on workplace skills. Many had proposed to have 50 percent theory and 50 percent practical classes. 73 percent of respondents proposed teaching of more practical workplace skills followed by delivery of relevant courses which would be possible only through strong links with employers and education/training providers. Thus, apprenticeship schemes, job placement opportunities could become compulsory in all programmes of study to be implemented with the collaboration of employers with a view to bridge the gap between training and requirement of employers. This suggestion has been provided by employers as a major improvement in the system.

The need for better links with employers has also been reiterated by 60 percent of respondents. It is vital to know the current and future needs of the industry in order to uplift the education and training system accordingly. Training courses should therefore necessarily match the needs of the market.

4.8.2. Government Policies

A big chunk (80 percent) of respondents expressed the need for effective job placement (Refer toFigure22).Thisinitiativewillhelpfillthedifferencebetweentheskillsrequiredbyemployersand the skills possessed by the applicants which very often do not match. While employers would prefer to hire people who are trained and ready to go to work, they are usually willing to provide the specialised, job-specific training necessary for those lacking such skills. Most discussionsconcerning today’s workforce turn to employability skills. Synergy between relevant institutions could also catalyse such an essential element in the value chain.

66

4.8.2. Government Policies

A big chunk (80 percent) of respondents expressed the need for effective job

placement (Refer to Figure 22). This initiative will help fill the difference

between the skills required by employers and the skills possessed by the

applicants which very often do not match. While employers would prefer to hire

people who are trained and ready to go to work, they are usually willing to

provide the specialised, job-specific training necessary for those lacking such

skills. Most discussions concerning today's workforce turn to employability

skills. Synergy between relevant institutions could also catalyse such an

essential element in the value chain.

5

26

53

60

66

73

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Pay higher salaries to teachers andlecturers/professors to boost their motivation

Increase standard of education

Improve the quality of education

Education institutions should build better linkswith employers

Offer courses that are relevant to employerdemands

Teach more practical workplace skills and lesstheory


Figure 21: Percentage of respondents who ranked their recommendations among top three


48

Figure 22: Policies which the Government may consider to fill skills gap

Above 50 percent of respondents pointed out that raising enrolment in vocational training might help to address the skill gap. Improving education and training standards was also suggested as one of the measures. The gap can be partly attributed to a lack of demand for vocational training,sincetheyouthmaynotfindthetrainingenhancingtheirchancesofobtainingajob.Somuch so employers felt that enough attention is not being put on vocational courses. The factors, therefore, which suppress the demand for vocational training have to be addressed. There is also a need to valorise skills in Mauritius which is more and more required by employers to gain an edge in this globalised competitive world.

4.8.3. Areas of HR where assistance is required

Finding the Right Person, for the Right Job, at the Right Time and keeping them is the greatest challenge. Some organisations will not be interested in adjusting their operation. They are likely to employ workers with lower skills and will continue to compete on pay, with the inherent churning of their labour force. In order to become responsive to what employees want and invent creativeresponsestosatisfythoseneeds,trainingisofutmostimportance.Reviewofbenefitsandremuneration is also pivotal if they wish to retain their staff. Weaknesses were therefore felt in the HR practices. The main HR areas where assistance were indicated by the respondents revolved around recruitment, selection and retention, HR planning, performance management, training planning and TNA amongst others as depicted in Figure 23.

67

Figure 22: Policies which the Government may consider to fill skills gap

Above 50 percent of respondents pointed out that raising enrolment in

vocational training might help to address the skill gap. Improving education

and training standards was also suggested as one of the measures. The gap

can be partly attributed to a lack of demand for vocational training, since the

youth may not find the training enhancing their chances of obtaining a job. So

much so employers felt that enough attention is not being put on vocational

courses. The factors, therefore, which suppress the demand for vocational

training have to be addressed. There is also a need to valorise skills in

Mauritius which is more and more required by employers to gain an edge in

this globalised competitive world.

4.8.3. Areas of HR where assistance is required

Finding the Right Person, for the Right Job, at the Right Time and keeping

them is the greatest challenge. Some organisations will not be interested in

adjusting their operation. They are likely to employ workers with lower skills

and will continue to compete on pay, with the inherent churning of their labour

force. In order to become responsive to what employees want and invent

creative responses to satisfy those needs, training is of utmost importance.

0 20 40 60 80

Increase spending on universities and institutes

Raise enrolment in universities and vocational training

Improve education and training standards

Raise enrolment in vocational training

Facilitate synergy between Government, universities,vocational training institutions and employers

Provide more job placement opportunities

17

42

51

53

58

80

Percentage of respondents Percentage of respondent


49

Figure 23: Areas in HR where organisations would like to have training and / or assistance

68

Review of benefits and remuneration is also pivotal if they wish to retain their

staff. Weaknesses were therefore felt in the HR practices. The main HR areas

where assistance were indicated by the respondents revolved around

recruitment, selection and retention, HR planning, performance management,

training planning and TNA amongst others as depicted in Figure 23.

Figure 23: Areas in HR where organisations would like to have training and / or assistance

43

47

47

47

47

49

51

51

52

53

57

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Succession planning

Assessment of HRD climate in the organisation

Career and talent management

Manpower forecasting

Training evaluation

Reward management

Training needs analysis

Training planning

Performance management

HR planning

Recruitment, selection and retention


Began her career in 2005 as Call Centre Agent at Euro CRM, before being promoted to Team Leader during the same year and later to Supervisor on different contracts for French clients.

Later she joined Rogers Outsourcing Solutions as Trainer.

In 2008, she was recruited by Outremer Telecom as Trainer and a few months later was promoted to Quality and Reporting Training Manager and was subsequently in charge of the Customer Services team (Indian Ocean region).

Given the particular services offered by Apollo Blake in the BPO sector and the use of bilingual communication (English and French), Céline chose to join Apollo Blake in 2010 as Trainer before she was promoted to French Training Manager in December 2010, 5 months after she joined the company.

Céline at Apollo Blake


50

4.8.4. Advice to those wishing to join the ICT sector

Across all industries, the complexity of jobs is increasing. Apart from the upgrading of the skill level demanded in the labour market, technological and occupational changes induce shifts in the type of skills required (Green et al. 2000). Many policy makers and experts argue that low-skilled workers can also benefit from the changes in the demand for skills if they receive additionaltraining (Acemoglu & Pischke, 1999).

Lindbeck&Snower(2000)arguedthat,inaddition,moreflexibleand‘multi-skilledworkers’arerequired. This is also acknowledged by 62 percent of respondents who advised multi-skilling for people to secure a decent job.

Theprimaryconcernofemployersliesinfindingemployeeswithagoodworkethicandappropriatesocial behaviour, i.e., reliable, good attitude, pleasant appearance and good personality. It is clear that the new recruit should also have a positive attitude to continuous learning and in this respect,manyemployersalsoprovidethenecessarytrainingtofillanyskillsgap.Thenewrecruitshould show a keen interest in his personal development and training, be accountable and strive for quality. In a nutshell, there is expectation of the right attitude from employers; 56 percent of respondents favoured a right attitude from employees.

The pattern of development of Mauritius has led to a dramatic transformation of the economy. Employers are also looking for specialised qualifications.Acquiring more than one degree or,having overseas exposure was cited by less than 20 percent of ICT enterprises. Whereas excelling in schooling was stated by some 43 percent. Yet, 62 percent of ICT companies sought multi-skilled employees and almost an equal percentage advised students to choose courses that are in demand by employers.

Itisworthstatingthatemployerswerenotmerelylookingforqualificationsbutforskillsaswell.It is idealistic to have all the employability traits in an individual but the latter should be prepared to learn practical skills through internship as pointed out by half of the respondents.

Figure 24: Percentage of respondents who ranked the following advices among top three

70

It is worth stating that employers were not merely looking for qualifications but

for skills as well. It is idealistic to have all the employability traits in an

individual but the latter should be prepared to learn practical skills through

internship as pointed out by half of the respondents.

Figure 24: Percentage of respondents who ranked the following advices among top three

0 20 40 60 80

Complete more than one degree.

Obtain overseas education

Get good marks in your studies.

Learn practical skills through internship

Develop the right attitude

Choose courses that are demanded by employers

Try to be multi-skilled as far as possible

16

18

43

51

56

61

62



51

5. Conclusion and RecommendationOne of the major factors limiting the growth of ICT in Mauritius – and worldwide –is the availability ofsuitablytrainedandqualifiedpersonnel.Ofcourseworkforcesizedependsonfactorsotherthantraining – factors such as attracting students (and experienced workers from other disciplines) into the ICT industry and retaining personnel in the ICT industry through the provision of rewarding careers. Nonetheless education/training remains a critical factor in the development of the ICT workforce – and thus to the growth of our industry.

The purpose of this study was also to go beyond usual clichés of labour shortage and to carry outacriticalevaluationofthestatusofICTskillsrequirementsfromtheICTfirmsoperatinginMauritius.

ICT will continue to be the enabler of development and see increasing integration into all aspects of the economy. The philosophy, therefore, behind the survey was to take the pulse of the ICT sector in terms of labour shortage, skills requirement, skills development initiatives in response to skill problems amongst others. One of the main objectives was also to come up with recommendations further to which more sustainable solutions could be brought to resolve the labour shortage dilemma.

For Mauritius to fully leverage and capitalise on the tools and opportunities provided by ICTs in meeting the manpower planning, it is imperative that the strategic national ICT vision be built upon vision tempered by realism; planning hinged on adequate and coherent co-ordination, and adoption of localised solutions for localised challenges. The vision sets the stage and the agenda hasbeenredefinedNationalInformation&CommunicationTechnologyStrategicPlan(NICTSP)2011–2014:Towardsi-Mauritius.Torealisethemanyprojectsspecifiedinthisplan,thenecessaryhumanresources have to be available on time and every time. The Government Programme 2012-2015 has made provision for the following initiatives namely a National Training Strategy, Skills Pledge, ICT Academy, National Graduate Internship Scheme, National Youth Employment Programme amongst others.

In the same vein, focus of this report has therefore been put on three strategic thrusts, within which several policy measures are recommended, although these are not exhaustive at this stage:

1. Attractandretainaqualifiedworkforce;

2. Build R&D and innovative capacity; and

3. Enhance the development of human capital.


52

Attract and retain a qualified workforce: “Grow the Talent Pool”

No. Proposed actions Description

There is an urgent need for action to address negative ��

perceptions of ICT careers which lead many young people and thosewho influencetheircareerchoices (suchasparents,teachers, peer groups) to underestimate the opportunities available in ICT and thus to turn away from considering a career in ICT/BPO.

Developing and delivering an on-going National ICT/BPO ��

Awareness consisting of a national communication campaign addressing negative perceptions of ICT and highlighting the opportunities and attractiveness of ICT careers. (Use mobile to sensitize people, e.g send sms to reach the young generation, facebook and other social media, clips, showcasing success stories)

Hand-in-hand facilities (like transport, child care and so ��

on) should be made available at atypical working hours to be able to support the sector. Such facilities will help more women join this sector.

The image and working conditions (e.g. security of employees, ��

working hours, food and welfare) of the ICT sector need to be addressed to improve its attractiveness among young peopleintheabsenceemployeesdonotbenefitfromotherfacilities like loans.

Employers need to demonstrate clearer career pathways ��

supported by intuitive and strategic staff learning to attract youngsters to this sector.

It is highly appropriate to promote the adoption of tele-��

working. Many knowledge-based work styles lend themselves to tele-working. There is also a need to inculcate this culture among organisations and ensure that the required ICT infrastructure is available that support tele-working where appropriate. Such practices reconciliate work and family responsibilities, thus may attract more women to this sector.

Green jobs could be promoted in this sector (e.g. laptops ��

using solar energy)

1. Re-branding of the sector

- Improving ‘Quality of life’ by improving the perception on the ICT/BPO Sector

- Employers to demonstrate clear career pathways

- Review recruitment strategies

- Promoting tele-working


53


Effective Job Fairs and Career Fairs to be organised ��

regularly.

It is now generally acknowledged by governments, leading ��

industry and professional associations, employers and the education and training sector that there is an urgent need for improved targeting of information and advice on ICT courses and careers to school students. It is vital that our young people develop a strong awareness along with those who influence their careers (such as teachers/lecturers,parents, opinion leaders).

Educational counselling and career guidance for students (at ��

young age) and opportunities for work placements should be pursued. This can be promoted via effectively organised job fairs, showcasing success stories, open days and other promotion exercises (more decentralised). ICT needs to be presented as an attractive career option through the way that it is taught in schools as well.

Create a better understanding of ICT professions, a better ��

image of the variety of ICT professions, career path for differentprofessions,benefitsprovidedbyorganisationsandso on.

There is a pressing need to produce a secure supply of ��

qualifiedICTtalentoreventalentsurplustocreatereadinessof our labour force to be absorbed at any point in time by any emerging activity in the sector. Tertiary education institutions should make the right balance between quality and quantity.

Internationalaffiliationswiththelocaluniversitiescouldbe��

explored.

Educational/training institutions should prepare students ��

witha solid foundation intertwinedwithenoughflexibilityto be easily moulded, with the capacity to learn and unlearn through their own initiatives (to be facilitated) as well as having the right attitude towards work.

Whilst there is, of course, an onus on individuals to ensure ��

the ongoing relevance of their skill-sets but high costs of

2. Promote ICT as a career choice

- Catch them young (school-level mentoring of students on ICT/BPO Sector)

- Educational counselling and career guidance

- Sensitise of students on ICT as a career

- Create a better understanding of ICT professions

3. Create talent surplus

- Increase enrolment

- Balance between quality and quantity

- Global skills

- Individuals to ensure relevance of their skills-set


54


self-financingongoingskillsdevelopmentcanbeapotentialbarrier to skills upgrading for some IT professionals. Employers have an equally important role to play, especially in an environment – projected to continue for the foreseeable future – of shortages of ICT personnel.

Many have also deplored the high cost of training in ��

Mauritius which limits the possibilities of individuals to affordforexamplemorethanoneprofessionalqualification/certification.

Qualifications,experienceand loyaltyno longerguarantee��

career success. The market increasingly demands higher competencies, in broader skill areas and a workforce committed to, and capable of, continuous improvement. There is a need to develop workforce with new skills in line with the change in technology and other requirements of the sector to sustain its growth.

Themostimmediatetrainingstrategytofilltheexistinggap��

in terms of skills/jobs in demand in the sector should be developed for the following: Telemarketing agent/Call Taking Specialist/Data Entry Operator (other languages besides English and French to be explored), Software Developer (Java, php, SAP, Siebel, Oracle applications), Software Engineer, Software Specialist and IT Technician. There is a pressingneedforcertifiedprofessionalsine-businesssuite,supplychain,financial,humancapitalmanagementamongstothers.

Encourage enrolment for doctoral degrees, especially through ��

constructing and building higher education systems locally. Under government intervention, the popularisation and upgrading of education should build up a rich stock of human resources and technological research and development capability. Quality human resources provide an internal embedded knowledge base, leading to a higher level of R&D capacity to attract foreign investment for further innovation in Mauritius.

The government’s R&D funding on ICT activity should ��

increase.

4. Training and Development of employees

- Skills in line with the change in technology

- Most immediate training strategy

- Encourage enrolment for doctoral degrees

- R&D funding on ICT activity should increase

Build R&D and innovative capacity


55


There is a need to accelerate the move to greater ��

professionalisation of the ICT industry, including promotion ofappropriatecertificationoftheskillsofthoseworkinginICT.Companieshavingmorecertifiedprofessionals intheirorganisationbenefitfromprivilegedpartnerships.Italsogivesthe company more possibilities to compete for international tenders.

Such quality standards will allow companies to have a brand ��

for ICT services offered by Mauritius.

ICT companies should be encouraged to work to obtain ��

accreditation like the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) or other standards with international organisations. This will give clients even greater assurance they are engaging an organisation with the highest levels of project governance,qualityandefficiency.

Continuous learning program could be integrated with ��

certification/recognition.

Courses like Dot net, ITIL, Hyper V, Cisco, MCSE should be ��

promoted.

Bootcamp Training -hands-on training could be organised to ��

accelerate learning and specialisation.

The major challenges facing higher education are how to:��

- Significantly raise the basic skill competencies of thosestudents entering and graduating from the system.

- Increase the number of people achieving post secondary education/trainingqualifications.

- Align the new curriculum and outcomes with employer expectations.

- Increase the variety of user-friendly delivery options.- Create a seamless transparent ‘pathway’ from experience to

education to the skill requirements of the new economy.

5. Professionalisation of ICT

- Towards professionalising the sector: e.g. achievement of software engineering institute’s CMMI accreditation

- Improving the quality of product and service in the ICT Sector for global competitiveness

- Create a brand name for Mauritius

6. Pedagogical transformation to make curriculum more relevant to industry requirements

- Improve the synergy between education/training providers and employers

- Improve the quality of graduates from the local universities

Enhance the development of human capital


56


Universities are a major source of new ICT professionals. ��

However, the rapid rate of technological change creates challenges for universities to keep pace with the skills needed to build and maintain new technologies. This nexus, between the capabilities of universities and other higher education bodies and industry needs, relies on effective linkages and collaborative approaches between industry and universities to avoid misalignment in the demand and supply cycles.

The universities have privileged partnerships with professional ��

bodies and such collaborations should be optimised.

They can reach beyond their traditional academic and ��

institutionalwalls,becomemoreflexible(industry-led)andresilient, develop alternative delivery systems, grow more knowledgeable about the new generation and become the coalescing force behind a new broadened system of post secondary education. The new system will continue to provide high quality education as well as be prepared to address the important issues of new target populations, academic and workplacealignment,portabilityofqualifications, industryemployment pipelines, integrated learning systems, and strategic alliances.

For this to happen, there is a need to put in place a dynamic ��

platform for interaction between education/training providers and employers. The universities with the assistance of the industry should develop of suitable curricula that are responsive, flexible and appropriate to ICT industryrequirements.

Lack of talent, in general, was cited as the main barrier ��

to recruitment by many respondent companies coupled with price of talent. Co-operative education programmes, internships and up-to-date curricula are needed if Mauritius wishes to gain an edge.

Training curricula should be at par with the requirements of ��

the industry for better alignment to the dynamics in a local labour market through a stronger link between the higher education institutionsand labourmarketdemands specificto the ICT sector and the developmental needs of society.

- A platform: industry academia partnership for skill enhancement

- Focus on academic staff quality


57


Delivery of courses by both education and training providers ��

atflexibleworkinghourscouldbeexploredfurther–especiallyat late hours or after working time.

There should be focus on the academic staff quality and ��

competency.

Adequate personnel in ICT at primary, secondary and tertiary ��

levels should be available.

Emphasis on English and French at Secondary level��

Emphasis on English and French at secondary level��

TheNationalQualificationsFramework(NQF)shouldbemade��

fully operational and ensure that the Credit accumulation and transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanisms are integrated.

Low level of numeracy and literacy hamper their training to ��

becomequalifiedworkers.

ICT infrastructure at schools could be looked into to allow ��

students to use web technologies, programming and so on.

Promote online courses and by distance.��

Education and training delivery should ensure structured ��

placements for trainees to acquire hands-on experience in technical skills (both local and abroad). Period of placements could be increased and it could start as from Year 2 onwards. It is also essential to plan and scorecard job placement in the industry.

To emphasise the importance of project-based training, ��

training providers should be given incentives for courses in which the project work component accounts for at least a certain percentage of the course. The HRDC can subsidise training for trainees to undertake courses imparting such skills over a number of years.

On the other hand, sensitisation of employers is important ��

towards the provision of structured training/placements and ensuring that they have the necessary system in place to subject expose the trainee to maximum of work situations.

7. Structured and extensive job placements

- Work placement as a core part of any course

- Project-based learning

- Employers should have proper system in place

- Develop soft skills


58


Emphasis should also be put on soft skills training and ethics ��

to prepare the young generation to obtain an “avant-gout” of the nature of work and conditions therewith. This will enable them join the sector with a positive attitude.

Higher education programmes related to ICT should include ��

practice-oriented training, for a reasonable period of time, besides a variety of teaching forms like lectures, seminars, practical exercises and work placements. Furthermore, specialist guest lecturers from ICT companies, ICT industry representatives serving on advisory committees and review panels, academic secondment to industry on short contracts should be a general practice. This feature will render the trainee to the ICT/BPO working environment, organisation culture and acquaintance to some soft skills as well.

This is a public-private partnership. For professional training, ��

collaboration among stakeholders is vital. Given the sector is dynamic in terms of skills required by employers, this sector could be led by employers to ensure relevance of curricula.

The centre should act as the professional body for the ��

development and advancement of the ICT Sector, where the sharing of ideas and knowledge inspires, guides and promotes excellence in curricula, teaching, research and service.

The Centre should initiate a wide range of ICT courses ��

(employability skills) from pre-employment programs through to para-professional skill development which could:

- promote multi-skilling;- ensure the availability of customised and specialised

education and training that produces and upgrades skills and knowledge;

- promote communications (oral and written) skills in English and French;

- ensure delivery of courses based on training needs;- promotecertificationcourses;- boost non-traditional entrants to the sector; - promote HRD practices and soft skills;- provide technical skills to managerial staff and management

skills to technical staff;- produce a mix of skilled and semi-skilled pool of labour by

tapping school drop-outs and grooming them to be absorbed by various segments of the industry;

- promote entrepreneurial skills.

8. ICT Excellence Centres

- ICT Academy

- Collaboration among stakeholders is vital

- Deliver course based on TNA

- From pre-employment to post-employment

- Recognisehybridprofilesof people

- Promotecertificationcourses

- Promote soft skills


59


ICTprofessionsarewitnessingawidediversification.Hybrid��

profilesaregrowinginthe“emerging”professionsandeveninthecoresoftwareprofessions,buttheseprofilesarenotyet stabilised.

Trainingtohelpyoungstersacquireprofessionalqualifications��

to boost their employability could be held on a regular basis. E.g. oracle, Cisco, java, Php and so on.

An overall trend evident from the survey is the recognition ��

of the importance of soft skills, and the need to provide training in the following areas for all levels of employees (even managerial since most of them are promoted from insideandthereforemostlyproficientintechnicalbutoftendo lack the soft skills): communication skills, teamwork skills, innovation and creativity, customer responsiveness.

As ICT professionals now work in multi-disciplinary ��

teams dealing with complex problems, they also require problem-solving abilities, negotiation skills and a capacity to understand the needs of customers and project colleagues. Respondents also expressed significant interest in thedevelopment of the following skills: motivation, ability to work in transverse groups, adaptability, dynamism, excellence of techniques, honesty, negotiation skills, punctuality at work and work attitude.

The demand for a range of soft or people skills revealed ��

through the survey points to the necessity of developing a comprehensive overall strategy to meet these needs.

To assist education/training providers in the ICT sector ��

throughfinancial incentives, specialbenefits tokeeppacewith emerging technologies and its dynamics.

The survey has found that majority of the training in the ��

sector are informal (which is justified by the very natureof the sector, training is mainly inbuilt in either transition or operational cost). All stakeholders mainly the umbrella institutions (MEF, MQA, Sectoral Committees of HRDC, training institutions, and others) should collaborate to develop a mechanism where informal training could be refunded and systemic barriers reduced.

9. Provide incentive for training

- Increase training commitments

- Education/training providers to be incentivised to keep pace with emerging technologies


60


Innovative practices in the sector will help to reduce skills ��

shortages, improve business performance, bring a diverse range of people into the industry, improve learning for apprenticeships, higher and further education.

22 percent of the organisations did not have training ��

budget at all. The government should consider incentives to encourage the private sector to develop and further increase their current training commitments.

Ministry of Labour and IR could put in place a mechanism ��

to ensure constructive transfer of skills from foreign labour for example work permits for selected technical skills could contain a clause to make room for transfer of skills. Mauritius is ranked 63rd and scored 4.8 on FDI and technology transfer in the Global Competitiveness Report 2011/2012.

Follow-up should be done to ensure that transfer of skills has ��

been effected and work permits approved accordingly. Such practices should be monitored closely.

To have this repository of information, certain tasks need to ��

be undertaken. There is a lack of quantitative ICT workforce on the current size and shape of our ICT workforce as well as the consideration of supply and demand of ICT workers in the near future. It is essential therefore to conduct a study onnumberandprofileofICTprofessionals(ICTSkillsAudit)of the ICT/BPO sector. This study will help paint a picture oftheICTemployeesintermsofqualifications,experience,their life cycle and skills.

Data could be collected per sub-activity like ITES, BPO, Call ��

centres, ICT given that they are different in dynamics.

A review of the nomenclature of ICT occupations will also ��

be necessary to advise on the harmonisation of common occupations and job titles. Without this intelligence, it will bedifficultevaluatethegapbetweensupplyanddemandforICT workers.

To develop a medium term training strategy for future skills ��

requirement for the sector with the collaboration of all the players of the sector. A mechanism should be developed

- Mechanism to refund informal training

- Systemic barriers reduced

10. Transfer of knowledge from foreign labour to local people

11. ICT Skills Audit

- Conductstudyonprofileof ICT Professionals

- Review nomenclature of ICT occupations

- Harmonise common occupations

12. Interactive platform for recruitment and skills requirement information sharing


61


whereby employers could inform decision makers about their needs in terms of skills (e.g. an effective Labour Market Information System).

AdynamicwebsitespecifictotheICTsectorcouldbecreated��

where employers can constantly post their short term, medium term and long term skills requirements. Improved information on skills in demand and ICT occupations and careers are needed by industry, employers, ICT professionals, students and education and training providers. This information will enhance training and career planning, course and curriculum development, and assist government policy development. This information would serve policy makers and education/training providers to tune their deliverables to serve the industry at their best at any point in time.

As already recommended in the National Human Resource ��

Development Plan (NHRDP) 2009, a single strong industry association (taking the model of NASSCOM in India) is vital to pro-actively act as a bridge to dialogue with the Government on key front end and back end to help drive initiatives at national, regional and international levels.

- Dynamic website for interaction

- Employers to post their skills needs

13. Foster public-private partnership

- A single strong voice of the industry


62

The recommendations in this report suggest key areas to be addressed by government, industry, and education and training providers.

In the end, and compounding the overall picture gleaned from the survey, the predominant prognosis appears to be that the skills situation in the ICT/BPO Sector may get worse over the short to medium term. It cannot be emphasised enough, there is an urgent need to re-brand and market the ICT profession so that more bright students will enrol in ICT courses and more ICT practitionerswillconsistentlyupgradetheirskillstoremainrelevantandvaluableinthisfield.More synergy is required among the education/training providers to train our youth proactively in skills required by employers in the future. The government should urgently consider additional incentives to encourage the private sector to develop and further increase their current training commitments.

Eventually, it is essentially important to come up with an ICT Human Resource Development framework developed by a national level ‘Skills Taskforce or HR Taskforce’ that could be set up at the HRDC to holistically resolve short term, medium term and long term skills needs of the sector. This taskforce could identify opportunities for concrete, collaborative action to address skills development challenges that are common to all sectors. It might help to determine where HRD activities might best be directed to maximise effectiveness and prevent duplication of effort.

The case study on Mauritius in the World Economic Forum’s Global IT Report, entitled The Making of a Digital Nation: Toward i-Mauritius, enumerates the milestones met in the ICT sector reform of Mauritius. It stipulates that continued and sustained efforts to bring down the costs of international connectivity, to improve the quality of the workforce, and promote a business-friendly environment will further ensure that Mauritius becomes a preferred platform and solutions provider in the global ICT/BPO realm.


63

6. References1) Development of a Multi-Factor Set of Country-Level ICT Human Resource Capacity Indicators

— UN-APCICT. 2012. Available at: http://www.unapcict.org/ecohub/resources/development-of-a-multi-factor-set-of-country-level.

2) The Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011, Transformations 2.0, 10th Anniversary Edition

3) The Global Competitiveness Report 2010–2011

4) Hardiness Personality, Self-Esteem and Occupational Stress among IT Professionals, S.Subramanian and .Vinothkumar

5) Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, October 2009, Vol. 35, Special Issue, 48-56.

6) Tertiary Education Commission Graduate Tracer Study, 2011

7) Manpower Development in Nigeria: Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives, Omodia Stephen Monday

8) Challenge to ICT manpower planning under the economic restructuring: Empirical evidence from MNCs in Singapore and Taiwan Connie Zheng, Mei-Chih Hu, Science Direct, Technological Forecasting & Social Change 75 (2008) 834–853

9) White Paper Post Crisis: e-skills are needed to Drive Europe’s Innovation Society, Marianne Kolding Curtis Robinson, Mette Ahorlu, November 2009

10) ICT Human Capital Development Framework by the National Human Resource Taskforce, Malaysia, 2010

11) Labour Market Highlights 2011/12, Singapore Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Manpower

12) MSC Malaysia Supply-Demand Study of the ICT Industry

13) Overview of the ICT Situation and Diffusion in Thailand, ICT Manpower Development, Somchai Suksiriserekul


64

Appendix IFuture Labour/skills requirements in the ICT Sector

No. Job title 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Qualification

1. 3D & Multimedia Designer 5 20 Bachelor degree

2. CablingTechnician 2 5 Vocationalqualification

3. Call Taking Specialist 20 HSC passed

4. Computer Engineer 1 University diploma

5. Computer Network Specialist 20 30 Bachelor degree

6. Computersupportofficer 1 Bachelordegree

7. Computer Technician 7 1 University diploma/ Bachelor degree/Vocational qualification

8. Correcteur/Relecteur 1 University diploma

9. Data Entry Operator 12 SC passed/HSC passed

10. Data Input Clerk 8 HSC passed

11. DatabaseAdministrator 1 2 Professionalqualification

12. ElectronicTechnician 2 4 Vocationalqualification

13. Engenieur Exploitation 1 Bachelor degree

14. Engineer 4 6 Bachelor degree

15. Gestionnaire Des Dossier 3 10 Vocationalqualification D’appel D’offre

16. GraphicArtist 2 Professionalqualification

17. Graphic Designer 4 Bachelor degree

18. HospitalitySoftwareConsultant 2 Professionalqualification

19. Hotline Operator 1 HSC passed

20. IT Administrator 2 Bachelor degree

21. IT Analyst 2 Bachelor degree

22. IT Engineer 6 Bachelor degree

23. IT Manager 1 Bachelor degree

24. IT Programmer 4 2 University diploma

25. IT Security Specialist 2 Bachelor degree

26. IT Technical Developer 2 University diploma


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No. Job title 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Qualification

27. ITTechnician 8 8 Vocationalqualification/ Professionalqualification

28. Java Programmer 5 Bachelor degree

29. Junior Software Developer 2 University diploma

30. LayoutArtist 2 Vocationalqualification

31. Linux/UnixSystemAdministrator4 10 Professionalqualification

32. Marketing Executive 1 Bachelor degree

33. MarketingOfficer 5 Universitydiploma

34. MicrosoftSystemAdministrator 4 10 Professionalqualification

35. Moderator 20 SC/HSC passed

36. Motion Designer 5 20 University diploma


38. PHP Programmer 4 Bachelor degree

39. Project Manager 4 Bachelor degree

40. Responsable de Bureau d’etude 1 Bachelor degree

41. Senior Integrator 5 20 University diploma


43. Software Architect 6 Bachelor degree

44. Software Developer 52 47 20 10 10 HSC passed/University (Inclu. Java, php) diploma/Bachelor degree

45. Software Specialist Professionalqualification

46. System Analyst 10 University diploma

47. Team Leader 2 University diploma

48. Tele Sales Agent 290 225 SC /HSC passed

49. Telemarketing agent 80 50 50 50 HSC passed

50. Tele-operator 20 HSC passed

51. WebDeveloper 2 5 Professionalqualification

52. Webmaster 20 Professionalqualification

TOTAL 646 522 74 60 60


66

Labour Shortage

Survey 2011

Appendix II

Questionnaire ID: ......................................................

Interviewer’s name: ...................................................

Interviewer’s ID: .......................................................

Name of contact person: .............................................

Signature of contact person: ........................................

Telephone: ..............................................................

Supervisor: ..............................................................

Date on which interview is conducted: ............................

Aim of survey: To reduce the mismatch between demand and supply of labour.

Objectives of the surveyFor each sector: 1. To assess the current situation of labour shortage; 2. Toidentifytheimmediateandfuturespecificskillsrequirement; 3. Toidentifytheprofileofemployeesrequiredbyemployers;and 4. To make recommendations for policy makers to devise strategies to reduce the labour

mismatch.

Definitions

Labour/Skill shortage: It refers to a shortfall in the number of individuals in the labour force required to meet the demands for employment. It sometimes denotes the possible mismatch between workers and jobs in the economy.

Skills: Skills can be described in different types and they can be split into a number of different categories. Basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and generic skills, such as team working and communication, are applicable in most jobs. Specific skills tend to be less transferable between occupations. Most occupations use a mix of different types of skills and within each skill there are different levels of ability.Forskillstobenefittheeconomy,theymustbeeconomicallyvaluable.Thatis,theymustbenefitindividuals through higher wages and businesses through improved productivity.

Employees have been classified into three (3) broad categories:1. Worker: A worker is a labourer or non-technical staff. Their work is mostly manual and repetitive.

Examples include cleaner and plantation worker.2. Specialised worker: A specialised worker requires some form of education or training to master

skills. Their work is mostly repetitive, but requires a level of skill or understanding that is slightly more sophisticated than manual work. Examples include seamstress, carpenter, mechanic, maintenance staff, data entry operator, receptionist and cashier.

3. Professional staff: Professional staff is more independent and perform a variety of tasks. They requireahigherlevelofeducationand/orexperiencetobeabletofulfilltheirroles.Examplesinclude managers, supervisors, accountants, IT staff, administrative staff and other employees engaged in professional services.


67

1. (a) Is your sector of activity experiencing labour shortage. Yes 1 No 2 (If No to Q1(a), go to Q4) (b)Howdoyouforeseethislabourshortageoverthenextfiveyearsin your sector of operation?

Worsening 1 Improving 2 Remaining the same 3 2. How do you describe labour shortage in your sector? (Please tick only one option in each categories A

and B)

A. Lack of people with required:

• qualificationsONLY(certificates) 1

• sufficientpastworkingexperienceONLY 2

• bothqualificationsandsufficientpastworkingexperience 3

• Others(pleasespecify):……………………………………………………………………………… 4

B. Lack of people with required:

• technicalskillstodothejob 1

• softskills(e.g.attitude,teamspiritetc.) 2

• bothtechnicalskillstodothejobandsoftskills 3

• Others(pleasespecify):……………………………………………………………………………… 4

3. What are the reasons for the labour shortage in your sector of operation? For each reason, please circle one option from: 1: Extremely important, 2: Important, 3: Not Important at all, 4: Not required/Not applicable

Reasons 1 2 3 4

Education system does not meet market demands 1 2 3 4

Training system does not meet market demands 1 2 3 4

People do not have the right attitude toward work 1 2 3 4

Peoplearenotsufficientlyproficientinlanguage 1 2 3 4

Peoplearenotsufficientlyproficientinnumeracy 1 2 3 4

PeoplearenotsufficientlyproficientinICT 1 2 3 4

Peoplearenotsufficientlyproficientintechnicalskills 1 2 3 4

Low wages compared to other sectors 1 2 3 4

Unfavourable conditions of employment compared to other sectors 1 2 3 4

Employees not willing to work on shift 1 2 3 4

Employeesnotwillingtoadoptflexitime 1 2 3 4

Employees not willing to work overtime 1 2 3 4

Notsufficientjobsecuritycomparedtoothersectors 1 2 3 4

have a negative opinion about this sector 1 2 3 4

Others (please specify) 1 2 3 4

Section I: Labour shortage in your sector of operation

8.2 Questionnaire


68

Section II: Labour shortage in your organisation

A. Current labour requirement in your organisation

4. Pleasefillinthetablebelowaboutthepeopleyouemployinyourorganisationcurrently.

For Minimum education level, select one option from: 0: Education not important 1: Incomplete primary 2: CPE Passed 3: Incomplete secondary 4: SC passed 5: HSC passed 6: Vocational qualification (e.g. NTC2 passed, NTC3 passed) 7: Professional qualification (e.g. ACCA) 8: University Diploma 9: Bachelor degree 10: Post-graduate (e.g. MSc, PhD)

Staff Do you How many? Minimum Education level Experience required Category employ? required (Please circle only one (Please circle one option

(Please circle) in each category) for each type of worker)

As at 31 May 2011 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Definitelyrequire 1Worker1 Yes 1 No 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Depends 2 Not at all 3

Definitelyrequire 1Specialised Yes 1 No 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Depends 2 Worker2 Not at all 3 Definitelyrequire 1Professional Yes 1 No 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Depends 2 Staff 3 Not at all 3

5. How would you describe the existing pool of skills in your organisation per category of employee? (Please circle one option for each type of worker)

Meets basic Does not meet Requires Underdeveloped Not requirements basic upgrade applicable requirements

Worker1 1 2 3 4 5

Specialised worker2 1 2 3 4 5

Professional staff3 1 2 3 4 5


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6. Besides the technical and generic skills, how much importance would you attach to the following soft skills (e.g. communications skills, team spirit etc)? Please circle one option from 1: Extremely important, 2: Important, 3: Not Important at all, 4: Not required/Not applicable

Worker Specialised Worker Professional staff

Communication 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Ability to work in 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4team

Ability to innovate 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4and create

Ability to understand 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 needs of customers

Others (please specify)

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4


70

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71

8. (a).Has your organisation implemented any initiatives to help address the skill shortage among existing employees?

Yes 1 No 2 IF No go to Q8(c)

(b). If Yes to Q8 (a), what are these initiatives? (You may tick more than one option)

Training 1 Improvebenefits(nonfinancial) 4

Re-training 2 Improve wages 5

Up-skilling 3 Recruit new employees possessing the necessary skills 6

Any other initiatives?

(c). If you answered No to question Q8(a), are there any plans for such initiatives in the future? Yes 1 No 2

9. Do you have a strategic skills development plan for your organisation? Yes 1 No 2

10. Do you use the Levy Grant Scheme provided by the HRDC? Yes 1 No 2

11. Do you carry out any TNA before training your employees? Yes 1 No 2

12. What percentage of your organisation’s annual budget is allocated to skills development and training programmes? _________ (%)

13. Specifyyourpreference(topfive)foracquiringtherequiredskillsforyourorganisation? (Please rank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 1: most important)

Preference for acquiring the required skills Rank Rank

a) Onthejob/mentoring(informal g) Diploma/Certificate learning)/knowledge sharing from a Universityb) In-house (company organises h) Degree from a University the training) c) Learnership/internship i) E-learning/Blended/ distance learning d) Tailor-made courses j) Overseas training e) Seminars / workshops / short courses (Non-award) k) Others (please specify): f) Certifiedshortcourses(award)

C. Recruitment and Retention of employees in your organisation

14. What is your most preferred method of recruitment? Please tick one option only

Newspapers 1 Government (Ministry of Labour & IR and NEF databases) 4 TV 2 Networking/word of mouth 5 Private recruitment agencies 3 Headhunting 6 Others(pleasespecify):………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7


72

15.Doesyourorganisationfaceanydifficultyinretainingskilledpeople?

16.IfYestoQ15,whatarethemajordifficultiesyourorganisationfacestoretainskilledpeople?

1.

2.

3.

17.Ineachcolumnpleaserankthefive most important skills and qualities you look for when hiring new employees in your organisation? (please rank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 1: most important).

*Isitdifficulttofind?Pleasetickwhereyouthinkitisdifficultonly.

18.State thequalificationswhere youfinddifficulty to recruit?(eg. BSc Forensic Science,MScFinance, ACCA level 1)

Rank

* Rank

* Rank

*Worker1 *Specialised Worker2 *Professional Staff3

1. Educationalqualification 1. Educationalqualification 1. Educationalqualification

2. Past experience 2. Past experience 2. Past experience

3. ICT, Numeracy, Literacy 3. ICT, Numeracy, Literacy 3. ICT, Numeracy, Literacy

4. Decision making & 4. Decision making & 4. Decision making &5. Problem solving 5. Problem solving 5. Problem solving

6. Analytical skills 6. Analytical skills 6. Analytical skills (able (able to analyse (able to analyse to analyse information) information) information) or speaking)

7. Communication 7. Communication 7. Communication (writing or speaking) (writing or speaking) (writing or speaking)

8. Affiliationtoprofessional 8. Affiliationtoprofessional 8. Affiliationtoprofessional association (e.g. ACCA, association (e.g. ACCA, association (e.g. ACCA, CIPD) CIPD) CIPD)

9. Foreign language 9. Foreign language 9. Foreign language

10. Technical skills 10. Technical skills 10. Technical skills (jobspecific) (jobspecific) (jobspecific)

11. Work attitude 11. Work attitude 11. Work attitude

12. Management leadership 12. Management leadership 12. Management leadership

13. Other (please specify): 13. Other (please specify): 13. Other (please specify):

Yes 1 No 2


73

19. (a). Mauritius is experiencing labour shortage. Do you agree? Yes 1 No 2 (If No Q 19 (a), go to Q 21)

(b). How severe do you think the labour shortage is?

Extremely severe 1 Tolerable 2 Not severe at all 3

(c). Why do you think Mauritius is experiencing a labour shortage? Please state three (3) reasons starting

with the most important one.

1.

2.

3.

(d).HowdoyouforeseethislabourshortageoverthenextfiveyearsinMauritius?

Worsening 1 Improving 2 Remaining the same 3

20. State five reasons (starting with the most important one) to explain why it is difficult to recruit

skilled labour in Mauritius.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

21. Statefivemeasuresthatshouldbetaken(andbywhom)toreducemismatchbetweendemandand

supply of skilled labour? (starting with the most important)

Measures By whom? (e.g. the Government, individuals,

organisation e.g HRDC)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Section III: How to reduce the skills gap and increase employment?


74

22. WhatadvicewouldyougivetoyoungMauritianstohelpthemfindagoodjob?(Please rank only three; rank 1 = most important)

Get good marks in your studies. Complete more than one degree. Try to study overseas (if possible). Choose courses that are demanded by

employers; not just the easy or popular courses. Learn practical skills by volunteering/ Develop the right attitude – be professional, internship in organisations. prepared to work hard, willing to learn. Try to be multi-skilled as far as possible. Other (please specify):

23. What changes would you recommend to the education and training system to address the skills gap? (Please rank only three; rank 1 = most important)

Teach more practical workplace skills Require higher standards for students to pass. and less theory. Offer courses that are relevant to employer Education institutions should build better demands; not just courses that links with employers so they know are easy to teach. what skills to teach. Improve the quality of education Other (please specify): (course content, study materials, teacher quality). Pay higher salaries to teachers and lecturers/ professors to boost their motivation.

24. What laws or policies can the Government amend / develop to address the skills gap? (Please rank only three; rank 1 = most important) Provide more job placement opportunities. Improve education and training standards. Raise enrolment in universities and Facilitate better communication/ vocational training. synergy between Government, universities,

vocational training institutions and employers. Raise enrolment in vocational training. Other (please specify): Increase spending on universities and institutes (more teachers, higher salaries, better facilities).

25. Which of the following areas in HR your organisation would like to have training and / or assistance? (Please rank ; rank 1 = most important)

Assessment of HRD climate in the organisation Training planning

Recruitment, selection and retention Training evaluation

Career and talent management Succession planning

Reward management HR planning

Performance management Others, please specify:

Training needs analysis

Manpower forecasting


75

26. Any other comment:

Section IV: Organisation Details

27. Name of your organisation:...............................................................................

28. Sector of operation: Agriculture 1 Construction 6 Manufacturing 2 Finance 7 Seafood 3 EOE 8 Tourism 4 Public Sector 9 ICT 5 Other Economic Activities 10 29. Main activity:...............................................................................................

30. What is your current job title? General Manager 1 Operations Director or Manager 3 Human Resources Director or Manager 2 Other (please specify) 4 31. How many full-time staff does your organisation currently employ?

1 to 5 1 101 to 200 5 6 to 10 2 201 to 300 6 11 to 50 3 301 to 500 7 51 to 100 4 Above 500 8

32. How many part-time staff does your organisation currently employ?

1 to 9 1 10 to 50 2 51 to 100 3 Above 100 4

33. Please specify the number of foreign/expatriate staff your organisation currently employs per level.

Worker1:……………SpecialisedWorker2:……………ProfessionalStaff3:……………

THANK YOU VERY MUCH


76

Appendix IIINumber of registered professional jobseekers with ICT qualifications,

as at 6 June 2012

EIC Male Female Total

Curepipe 1 2 3

Flacq 17 4 21

Mahebourg 1 5 6

Mapou 4 6 10

Port Louis 8 5 13

Quartier Militaire 5 4 9

Quatre Bornes 4 4 8

Riv. Des Anguilles 1 5 6

Riv. Du Rempart 9 10 19

Rose Belle 9 1 10

Rose Hill 1 2 3

Triolet 6 9 13

Vacoas 1 2 3

Workfare - ESMO 6 5 11

Total 73 64 135

Source: LMI UNIT


77

Appendix IVNumber of expatriates working in the ICT Sector, as at 6 June 2012

JOB TITLE MALE FEMALE TOTAL

1. DEVELOPER 1 - 12. DIRECTEUR TECHNIQUE 1 - 13. FORMATRICE D’ALLEMAND - 1 14. TECHNICIEN D’AUTOCAD POUR AS-BUILT TRAVAUX TELECOMS 1 - 15. 3D GRAPHIC DESIGNER 1 - 16. ACCOUNTANT 26 21 477. ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTANT - 1 18. ANALYST / PROGRAMMER 1 - 19. ASSEMBLER 4 - 410. ASSISTANT MANAGER (BILLING) 1 - 111. ASSISTANT MANAGER (TECHNICAL) 5 - 512. ASSISTANT MANAGER(FINANCE) 1 - 113. AUTO CAD OPERATOR (SUPERIOR GRADE) 1 - 114. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR 1 - 115. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER 1 - 116. BUZZ MARKETING MANAGER 1 - 117. CABLE SPLICING EXPERT (SUPERIOR GRADE II) 3 - 318. CABLE TECHNICIAN 3 - 319. CALL CENTRE OPERATOR - 1 120. CALL CENTRE TRAINER AND QUALITY CONTROL 1 - 121. CAMPAIGN MANAGER 1 - 122. CARE - GIVER - 1 123. CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT 1 - 124. CHEQUE PRINTING TECHNICIAN 1 - 125. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 3 - 326. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 1 - 127. CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER - 1 128. CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER 1 - 129. COMMERCIAL CONSULTANT 1 - 130. CONSEILLER PEDAGOGIQUE 2 2 431. CONSULTANT 1 - 132. CONSULTANT IN JEWELLERY 1 - 133. CONTRACT MANAGER 1 - 134. COOK 1 - 135. CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE 1 - 136. DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR 1 - 137. DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE / CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 1 - 138. DEPUTY MANAGER (FINANCE) 1 - 139. DEPUTY MANAGER (TECHNICAL) 4 - 440. DEVELOPER 1 - 141. DIRECTEUR DE PRODUCTION EN TELEMARKETING HUMANITAIRE 1 - 142. DIRECTOR 6 1 743. DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CENTRE 1 - 144. DIRECTOR OF STUDIES - 1 145. DOCUMENT MANAGER - 1 146. EBS EXPERT 1 - 1


78

47. ELECTRONIC AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS COMPUTER OPERATOR (TECHNICIAN) (GRADE II) 2 - 248. ELECTRONIC ENGINEER 1 - 149. ELECTRONICS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS COMPUTER OPERATOR (TECHNICIAN) 1 - 150. ERP SUPPORT ASSISSTANT - 1 151. ERP SUPPORT ASSISTANT - 1 152. FINANCE OFFICER 1 1 253. GENERAL MANAGER 1 - 154. GRAPHIC DESIGNER 1 - 155. HIGHDEAL TRANSACTIVE BILLING TRAINER 1 - 156. I.T CONSULTANT 2 - 257. I.T DEVELOPER 2 - 258. INTERN 1 1 259. INTERPRETOR - 1 160. IT CONSULTANT 3 - 361. IT CONSULTANT - SOFTWARE DEVELOPER MANAGER 1 - 162. IT DEVELOPER 14 4 1863. IT ENGINEER - DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR 1 - 164. IT SPECIALIST 1 - 165. IT TRAINER & CONSULTANT 1 - 166. IT TRAINER AND CONSULTANT 1 - 167. IT TRAINING OFFICER - 1 168. ITEM PROCESSING CONSULTANT 1 - 169. LARGE SCALE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION EXPERT 1 - 170. LINESMAN 9 - 971. LOGISTICS MANAGER 1 - 172. MACHINE OPERATOR 1 - 173. MANAGER 2 - 274. MANAGER - APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT - 1 175. MANAGER LOGISTIC MANAGEMENT - 1 176. MANAGING DIRECTOR 12 - 1277. MARKETING OFFICER - 1 178. MOBILE PHONE TECHNICIAN 1 - 179. NETWORK ENGINEER 1 - 180. NURSE EDUCATOR - 1 181. OPERATION & MAINTENANCE FOR EMTEL GSM 1 - 182. OPTIC FIBRE CABLE SPLICER 2 - 283. OPTIMIZATION ENGINEER 1 - 184. ORACLE APPLICATION FINANCIAL FUNCTIONAL CONSULTANT 1 - 185. ORACLE APPLICATION FUNCTIONAL CONSULTANT 1 - 186. ORACLE DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR 1 - 187. ORACLE TECHNICAL CONSULTANT 1 - 188. OUTDOOR REPAIRMAN 3 - 389. PIXEL ARTIST 1 - 190. PROJECT DIRECTOR 1 - 191. PROJECT ENGINEER 1 - 192. PROJECT MANAGER 3 - 3



79

93. RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING MANAGER - 1 194. REEFER TECHNICIAN 2 - 295. REPRESENTATIVE 1 - 196. RIGGER - GRADE I 6 - 697. RIGGER GRADE I 2 - 298. RUSSIAN SPEAKING ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR 1 - 199. SALES ACCOUNTANT 1 1 2100. SENIOR ACCOUNTANT - 1 1101. SENIOR IT DEVELOPER 4 - 4102. SENIOR IT ENGINEER / CONSULTANT 1 - 1103. SENIOR MARKETING OFFICER 1 - 1104. SENIOR SIEBEL DEVELOPER 1 - 1105. SENIOR SOFTWARE DESIGNER 1 - 1106. SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPER 3 - 3107. SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER 2 1 3108. SENIOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT ENGINEER 1 - 1109. SENIOR TECHNICIAN 2 - 2110. SITE AGENT 1 - 1111. SOFTWARE DEVELOPER 5 - 5112. SOFTWARE ENGINEER 8 1 9113. STUDENT - 2 2114. SYSTEMS ENGINEER 1 - 1115. TEACHER - 1 1116. TEAM LEAD - 1 1117. TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR 1 - 1118. TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND TRAINING 1 - 1119. TECHNICIAN 1 - 1120. TECHNICIAN GRADE I 2 - 2121. TECHNICIAN IN AUDIOVISUAL 1 - 1122. TECHNICIEN D’AUTOCAD POUR AS-BUILT TRAVAUX TELECOMS 1 - 1123. TELECOM LINEMAN 3 - 3124. TELECOM LINEMAN GRADE 2 1 - 1125. TELECOM TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR (SUPERIOR GRADE I) 4 - 4126. TELECOM TECHNICIAN 6 - 6127. TELECOM TECHNICIAN (SUPERIOR GRADE) 2 - 2128. TELECOM TECHNICIAN OFC - SUPERIOR GRADE 1 - 1129. TELECOMMUNICATION ENGINEER 7 2 9130. TRAINEE - 3 3131. TRANSLATOR 3 3 6132. VISITING CHAIR OF PROFESSOR IN SANSKRIT AND INDIAN PHILOSOPHY 1 - 1133. VISITING LECTURER 1 - 1134. WEB DEVELOPER 2 - 2135. WORKSHOP ASSISTANT 4 - 4

TOTAL 242 56 298


Work permits are approved subject to the training of a Mauritian counterpart Source: LMI UNIT


80

Appendix VICT Statistics

Number of cellular subscribers (‘000) in 2010: 1190.9Internet subscribers (‘000): 284.2

Table 7: Persons aged 5 years and above who can use computer by age-group and sex 2010

Age-group (years) Male(%) Female (%) Both sexes (%)

5-11 69.6 68.8 69.2

12-19 89.8 92.8 91.3

20-29 74.0 73.1 73.5

30-39 51.8 48.0 49.9

40-49 40.9 30.4 35.6

50-59 34.2 20.4 27.2

>=60 14.9 4.9 9.2

Total 54.9 47.8 51.3

Source: Continuous Multi Purpose Household Survey (CMPHS)


81

Percentage of persons aged 12 years and above (%) using

Souce: Continuous Multi Purpose Household Survey (CMPHS)

Computer

2008 2010 2008 2010

Age-group (years)

12-19 77.9 85.2 42.3 58.3

20-29 47.8 61.6 34.4 50.7

30-39 30.5 38.7 18.9 28.1

40-49 24.8 29.2 14.2 19.2

50-59 19.0 23.6 12.5 17.6

>=60 4.1 6.7 3.1 5.1

Total 35.4 41.7 21.8 30.5

Internet

Table 8: Persons aged 12 years and above using computer and Internet by age-group, 2008 and 2010


82

ICT Usage in education, 2006-2010

List of providers (around 130) offering ICT courses at technical and vocational level is available ��

on the MQA website at www.mqa.muList of providers (around 25) offering ICT courses at tertiary level is available on TEC website ��

at www.tec.muInformation on levy grant scheme is found on the HRDC website at www.hrdc.mu��

Educational level

1. Primary education

(i) Primary school having Internet access for students (%) 4.8 5.9 6.0 19.9 55.7

(ii) Students per computer in primary schools (Number) 163 63 38 25 27

2. Secondary education

(i) Seccondary schools having Internet access fro students for study purposes (%) 89.2 93.8 93.6 95.7 94.7

(ii) Students per computer in secondary schools (Number)1 26 26 25 22 22

(iii)StudentsexaminedinICTatSchoolCertificatelevel

Number 4,177 4,571 4,624 4,636 5,241

Percentage 25 26 26 27 26

iii)StudentsexaminedinICTatHigherSchoolCertificatelevel

Number 822 920 933 952 977

Percentage 10.2 10.8 10.5 10.0 10.0

3. Tertiary education2

StudentenrolledinICToranICT-dominatedfieldattertiarylevel

Number 3,971 3,700 3,448 3,475 3,694

Percentage 12.0 10.6 8.9 8.5 8.3

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

1Figures for secondary level include both Academic and Pre-Vocational2Includes also distance education and institutions abroad, and relates to school years 2006/2007 to 2010/2011Source: Annual Survey in Primary and Secondary Schools in March, Mauritius Examination Syndicate (MES) and Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)


83

Appendix VII

Number of students enrolled at the University of Mauritius

Students enrolment 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

All BSc Programmes @ CSE Dept 590 615 760 924 936

All MSc programmmes @ CSE Dept 71 40 41 75 64

BSc (Hons) Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) 78 75 78 76 81

BSc (Hons) Electronics and Science 62 67 82 83 79

MSc Information and Communication Technologies 19 10 - - -

Total BSc 730 757 920 1083 1096

Total MSc 90 50 41 75 64

Source: UoM, 2012

Appendix VIII

ICT/BPO Sector Salary SurveyHighlights 2010 by Capfor Group

Sn. Job Title Average Entry Median Salary Level Salary (Rs) (Rs)

1 Technical Team Lead/Chef de Projet Technique 29,500 39,600

2 Infrastructure Team Lead/Resp. Cellule/Administrateur 27,420 32,820

3 Senior BPO Supervisor/Chef de Plateau 20,380 32,620

4 Junior Developer/Développeur Junior 16,500 18,000

5 Junior Technician/Technicien Junior 13,212 17,220

6 JuniorBPOOfficer/AgentBPOJunior 12,210 15,420

7 Junior Call Centre Agent/Téléconseiller Junior 6,830 8,125

8 Data Entry Operator/Opérateur de Saisie 5,000 7,009


84

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86

GRADE DISTRIBUTION - COMPUTING

HSC 2007

A B C D E Ungraded Principal Subsidiary Pass Pass Total B 36 59 132 121 112 59 460 19 538 6.6% 10.8% 24.2% 22.2% 20.5% 10.9% 85.7% 3.5% G 30 58 108 100 51 27 347 8 382 7.8% 15.0% 28.0% 25.9% 13.2% 7.1% 90.8% 2.1% T 66 117 240 221 163 86 807 27 920 7.1% 12.6% 25.8% 23.7% 17.5% 9.3% 86.6% 2.9%

HSC 2008

A B C D E Performance No. Principal Subsidiary Examined Pass Pass Ungraded B 31 73 105 141 120 470 32 69 571 5.4 12.8 18.4 24.7 21.0 82.3 5.6 12.1 G 34 45 75 93 68 315 8 39 362 9.4 12.4 20.7 25.7 18.8 87.0 2.2 10.6 T 65 118 180 234 188 785 40 108 933 7.0 12.6 19.3 25.1 20.2 84.1 4.3 11.6

HSC 2009 A B C D E Performance No. Principal Subsidiary Examined Pass Pass Ungraded B 29 77 108 135 106 68 455 14 537 5.40 14.34 20.11 25.14 19.74 12.66 84.73 2.61 G 29 58 84 114 77 38 362 11 411 7.06 14.11 20.44 27.74 18.73 9.25 88.08 2.68 T 58 135 192 249 183 106 817 25 948 6.12 14.24 20.25 26.27 19.30 11.18 86.18 2.64

9691 Computing

9691 Computing

9691 Computing


87

HSC 2010

A A* B C D E Ungraded Principal Subsidiary No. Pass Pass Examined B 30 10 58 105 114 111 113 428 34 575 5.22 1.74 10.09 18.26 19.83 19.30 19.65 74.43 5.91 G 31 11 42 70 85 95 47 334 21 402 7.71 2.74 10.45 17.41 21.14 23.63 11.69 83.08 5.22 T 61 21 100 175 199 206 160 762 55 977 6.24 2.15 10.24 17.91 20.37 21.08 16.38 77.99 5.63

HSC 2011 A A* B C D E Ungraded Principal Subsidiary No. Pass Pass Examined B 5 26 58 89 118 120 102 416 45 563 0.9 4.6 10.3 15.8 21.0 21.3 18.1 73.9 8.0 G 1 20 42 64 79 78 57 284 24 365 0.3 5.5 11.5 17.5 21.6 21.4 15.6 77.8 6.6 T 6 46 100 153 197 198 159 700 69 928 0.6 5.0 10.8 16.5 21.2 21.3 17.1 75.4 7.4

GRADE DISTRIBUTION - COMPUTING

9691 Computing

9691 Computing

Source: Mauritius Examinations Examinations, 2012


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A Study on Labour Shortage in the ICT/BPO sector in Mauritius

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Transcript of A Study on Labour Shortage in the ICT/BPO sector in Mauritius