The skills shortage Namibia was experiencing is slowing down the economic growth of the country, Tim Parkhouse, secretary general of the Namibia Employment Federation (NEF), told a parliamentary standing committee this week. Parkhouse and the chairperson of the NEF, Elize Fahl and Hofni Shikongo, NEF board member and human resources manager at the Ohlthaver & List Group, informed the parliamentary committee under the chairmanship of George Kayamu, that affirmative action (AA) in the economic sector had not been as successful as it should be. Newly trained persons and graduates from colleges had wrong expectations about the labour market and salaries, Parkhouse added. Just because they had certificates and diplomas would not bring them top salaries, as practical experiences was necessary, Parkhouse outlined. The NEF delegation also made it clear that incentives for AA implementation would be better than forcing companies to appoint previously disadvantaged people. A pending proposal to reduce the number of obligatory AA form companies with 50 and more staff to 25 staff, would also increase the work load of the employment equity commission, the NEF members said.