Contents analysis of library professional jobs advertised in Ajira portal by public service recruitment secretariat (PSRS) in Tanzania

Purpose The purpose of this study was to establish the level at which duties and responsibilities outlined in library jobs advertised in Ajira Portal are aligned with job market and skills requirement in digital library environment in Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach This study used quantitative content analysis method to systematically analyze library professional jobs advertised online in Ajira Portal by public service recruitment secretariat in Tanzania for over five-years ranging from January 1, 2019 to December 30, 2023. Findings The findings show that for the period of five-years there were 46 library job advertisements with 147 library job positions that yielded an average of only (9; 20%) job advertisements per year, only (3; 2.24%) of all job positions for each advertisement and only (29; 19.70%) of all job positions for each year. This implies that there is a low rate of employment of Library and Information Studies/Science (LIS) professionals in Tanzania which is inversely proportional to the number of LIS graduates in the said field of the study. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to the data archive of 2019–2023 LIS professionals job advertisements in the Ajira Portal, and only public institutions were represented in the sample. Practical implications Results of this study act as an eye opener for the LIS schools’/training institutions to incorporate essential skills and competencies into the curricular for preparing LIS professionals for aligning their professions with duties and responsibilities in digital library environment in Tanzania. Originality/value The study has contributed to growing body of knowledge on the importance of content analysis of library jobs advertisements for identifying current skills required by various professions by the employers.