Contemporary Economic Growth Strategies In Creating Employment Opportunities: A Case Of Export Processing Zones (Epzs) In Tanzania

ABSTRACT 

As a result of the insignificant number of employment the EPZs have so far been able to register on the ground, contrary to what was estimated by the government during its establishment on the one hand, and also contrary to the successful stories of such programme on the same elsewhere; this study was specifically set-out to inquire on the failure of EPZs in Tanzania in generating the same using three firms registered under EPZ programme. In its inquiry, the study used three important variables that have long been used to examine successes and failures of such economic programmes in generating employment and which were largely used in the contexts where EPZs were reported to have registered successful stories. These include; the nature and availability of skilled labour in the labour market, the investing climate in the host countries, and the working conditions in the firms under EPZs.  In line with the above framework used in conceptualising and understanding the lack of sufficient employment under EPZs, unlike most studies on the same, this study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches whereby data were generated using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and structured questionnaires with closed questions. This study found that the interaction between the aforementioned variables, not only shaped and guided, but also hindered the whole process leading to unemployment in the EPZs firms. The dynamics associated with the question of unemployment such as the lack of individuals with desired technical and soft skills, the extreme poor working conditions, and the stringent investing atmosphere among others significantly contributed to the reported critical current state of unemployment in the firms operating under EPZs and in Tanzania as a whole.