Question NW1222 to the Minister of Employment and Labour
29 April 2022 - NW1222
Sonti, Ms NP to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
How does his department intend to address the crisis of youth unemployment in the Republic?
Reply:
1. The Department of Employment and Labour, embarked on a number of programmes to assist youth that are facing unemployment. For the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, a total of 257 474 work seekers were provided with employment counselling services them to cope with unemployment and to find work and self-employment opportunities. Working with employers, a total of 124 101 job opportunities were registered on the Employment System South Africa (ESSA) database. This resulted in 58 626 permanent job placements. More than 900 000 work seekers were also registered on the ESSA database.
2. The Department also works closely with the Presidency in championing the Pathway Management Network process. The Presidential Stimulus funding created more than 840,000 job opportunities. This programme has facilitated entry into first time job opportunities, and is a stepping stone to the labour market.
3. The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), concluded agreements on training projects aimed at creating jobs in the fibre optics, food handling and mixed farming sectors.
The UIF, through its Labour Activation Programmes (LAP), has set aside R551 million for the three projects to benefit 19 921 beneficiaries comprising 70% former UIF contributors who lost their jobs and 30% new labour market entrants to undergo training in the following skills disciplines:
14 771 Chief Food Handlers;
5000 Enterprise Development (mixed farming); and
150 Fibre Optic Technicians.
4. The Compensation fund
Through the Vocational Rehabilitation Programme, the Compensation Fund supports COID Persons with Disabilities (Injured workers who have acquired a permanent disablement) to be upskilled and reskilled.
Through this programme, a total of 41 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)were enrolled on various Vocational Training Institutions, and 32 PWDs were registered in the artisan and farming incubation programmes, respectively, during 2021/2022.
The support is further extended to the dependents of COID Persons with Disabilities, Dependents of Fatally injured workers and the General Youth pursuing undergraduate qualifications related to Health Professional and related clinical science, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Engineering, Statistics & Data Science, Actuarial Science, Maths & Science Education, Accounting, Psychology, Economics, Geography, Quality Control and Environmental Health. In addition, continuing students registered for Advanced Diploma/ Honours in Accounting Science (Stream: Certificate in The Theory of Accounting (CTA)are also being supported.
For the financial year 2021/2022, the Compensation Fund funded 1177 students enrolled at Post School Education and Training Institutions.