Labour and Human Resource expert Nezaiah Mwila Mumba has cautioned against presenting proposed labour reforms that would allow individuals to legally hold and perform multiple jobs as a solution to Zambia’s unemployment crisis. Mumba was responding to Government’s plans to amend labour laws to allow Zambians to legally hold and perform several jobs for different companies within the same day, a move intended to increase incomes and provide greater flexibility in the labour market amid high unemployment and rising living costs. He said while the reforms could create additional income opportunities and formally recognise changing patterns of work, allowing a small number of already-employed people to occupy several full-time positions could limit employment opportunities for graduates and other job seekers. “The objective should be to support supplementary, part-time or project-based work while continuing to promote the creation of decent and sustainable jobs,” he said. Mumba said multiple employment could particularly benefit consultants, lecturers, healthcare professionals, technology specialists and other skilled workers whose expertise can be provided to different organisations without necessarily affecting their primary employment. However, he warned that the arrangement could also deepen competition for available jobs if individuals were allowed to hold several full-time positions simultaneously. He further cautioned that the reforms could expose workers to exploitation if employers used them to divide permanent positions into multiple insecure part-time roles or avoid providing employment benefits. “There is also a genuine risk of worker exploitation. Some employers may use the reform to divide permanent jobs into several insecure part-time roles, avoid paying employment benefits or require employees to work excessive hours,” Mumba said. He said a worker could end up holding several jobs while still lacking job security, paid leave, medical support, pension contributions and adequate rest. According to Mumba, such conditions could negatively affect productivity, family life, mental wellbeing and workplace safety. He therefore called for clear safeguards covering maximum combined working hours, minimum wages, social security contributions, taxation, leave entitlements, occupational safety, conflicts of interest, confidentiality and protection against unfair treatment. He also said there should be clarity on whether employees would be required to disclose secondary employment to their primary employers. “In my view, multiple employment should be voluntary, transparent and properly regulated. It should provide additional economic opportunities without becoming a substitute for fair wages, secure employment and genuine job creation,” Mumba said. “If implemented without adequate consultation and safeguards, it could unintentionally create a workforce that is highly occupied but still financially insecure and vulnerable to exploitation.”