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The Democratic Alliance (DA) today presents its annual research report on the vacancy rates across South Africa's national departments. The report identifies and describes the concerning and increasing number of vacancies in national departments and how this negatively impacts the performance of the ANC government and its ability to deliver crucial services to the public.

For the full report: click here and for press conference photos click here

Both the highly skilled and overall vacancy levels at national level are on the increase. Even though the situation improved from 2006 to 2007, the DA's analysis shows a decline in the 2008/09 figures, reflecting the ANC government's inability to fill key positions in national departments.

In the overall analysis the Departments of Safety and Security, Correctional Services, and Defence were included. However, the reason for excluding these departments in the specific focus of the analysis is because these three departments constitute close to 80% of the total figure, and skew the analysis by including employees such as policemen and women, soldiers and prison warders (as opposed to dedicated administrators responsible for policy implementation and the running of departments).

The key findings are:

36 588 posts across 29 government departments are vacant - equating to a general vacancy rate of 8.9 %.
This is some 3 300 posts more than 2009, or a 0.4% year-on-year increase.
If one excludes the three largest departments, the general vacancy rate increases to 19.7 % (or 17 732 posts). This is 1.6 % and some 2 500 posts more than 2007.
Across all 29 departments, there is a vacancy rate for ‘highly skilled' positions of 5.9 % (or 24 146 posts). This is 0.2 % less, but 20 posts more than 2007.
Again, if one excludes the three largest departments, the vacancy rate for ‘highly skilled' positions increases to 11.6 % (or 10 412 posts). This is a 0.2 % increase and some 770 posts more than 2007.

As the report reveals, some departments are more seriously affected than others, particularly with regard to highly skilled positions.

The Department of Home Affairs is experiencing a 29.8% general vacancy rate as well as a 15.6% highly skilled vacancy rate. The Department of Communications follows closely with a 28.7% general vacancy rate and a 31.2% highly skilled vacancy rate (more positions have been flagged for highly skilled, than general). The ability of these departments to deliver on their mandates is significantly undermined by this acute skills deficit.

At the other end of the scale, some departments are dealing with the problem.

While the number of unfilled posts at the Department of Communications is very concerning, the department has managed to reduce its overall vacancy rate by 15.9% (from 44.6 % in 2007 to 28.7 % in 2008) and, unfilled highly skilled positions have been reduced by 11 % (from 42.2 % to 31.2 %).

The Department of Public Enterprises is performing well with only 3 highly skilled vacant posts out of 164 or a 1.8% vacancy rate. (These case studies are explored in more detail in the document.)

The nature and capacity of the state itself is often over-looked in favour of analysing the constraints and problems facing the private sector; but rarely do the problems affecting the one, not have a profound and similar effect on the other. This document was not designed to identify or examine the broader reasons for South Africa's skills shortage crisis. This is a specific study, of a specific aspect of South Africa's skills deficit. Nevertheless, helping to turn both the broader and this situation around remains one of the DA's top priorities. And what more appropriate barometer of the skills crisis than to turn the microscope on the very heart of South Africa's government and to assess how it is holding up in this regard.

The DA makes a number of recommendations, which can be summarised as follows:

The single biggest constraint to solving South Africa's skills crisis is the state of the country's education system. The problem is evident, not just in those institutions specifically designed to equip people with the advanced skills and training needed to secure employment in the market (the SETAs and tertiary institutions) but the country's primary and secondary education institutions as well. If the situation is to be turned around, this fundamental problem needs to be addressed. The DA has made a number of suggestions in this regard, and will not repeat them here; rather, this document sets out two simple and clear-cut recommendations.

Recommendation 1: Leadership and Responsible Management

It is a problem that defines many areas of South Africa's government: poor management and leadership and a lack of consequences for failure. Many of the problems identified by both the PSC and DPSA are logistical. They occur because a specific individual, with a specific job description, is not performing that job properly. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, in many cases, performance management systems are not properly implemented. Those people responsible for these administrative shortcomings must be held to account and, those people responsible for managing, assessing and leading them must also take responsibility for their failure to do so. By tolerating mediocrity, not only do standards drop, but the mechanisms which underlie any given institution are themselves eroded.

Related to this is the public position communicated by government. Government needs to send out a single, clear and coherent message on skills, acknowledge the problem and work towards a solution.

What the DA will do: The DA has already submitted a series of parliamentary questions to all government departments in an attempt to establish to what degree departments have complied with performance management requirements - specifically, what percentage of staff have signed performance contracts. The party will analyse these answers with a view to producing a further document and ask additional questions to establish what action has been taken against those individuals who fail to meet the required standard. The DA will also continue to be outspoken and upfront about a very real problem which has very real consequences for South Africa's future.

Recommendation 2: Learning what works

The DA's findings show that some departments have coped far better than others - Transport being a case in point. Social Development is another, as too is Communications. All three of these departments managed to reduce their overall vacancy rate (10%, 11.3%, and 15.9% respectively) and reduce their vacancy rate among highly skilled positions (by 8.2%, 10.9% and 11% respectively). They must be doing something right, which should be replicated by other departments.

Further, given the importance of government's central administration, the DPSA should undertake an annual consolidated analysis, along the lines of this document, which focuses specifically on national government (to complement its broader survey of the entire public service). Such a survey should provide consolidated information, identify common problems and best practice; with a view to generating better policy and practice.

What the DA will do: The DA will send a copy of this document to the Minister of Public Service and Administration, with an accompanying letter which makes these recommendations. The party will also pursue this matter in the PSA portfolio committee and the National Assembly.