Question NW4684 to the Minister of Employment and Labour

Reply:

A 1. What steps of intervention has he taken recently to curb the rising youth unemployment rate?

The Department provides employment services through its 126 labour centres and 475 visiting points that are spread across the country and are located in both urban, townships and rural areas. We also have projects that we fund through the Unemployment Insurance Fund Labour Activation Program and the Compensation Fund Rehabilitation Labour Activation Program. We are also involved in partnership interventions with the Presidency, under the Presidential Youth Employment Stimulus Initiative, where in we have been assigned to coordinate these initiatives through a National Pathway Management working closely with GTAC.

During the period April 2022- September 2022, the Department registered more than 570,000 new work seekers on its ESSA database of which 364,110 were youth, Female= 215 427 and male= 148 683

More than 92000 work opportunities were registered by employers with the Department. More than 44000 work seekers were placed into employment opportunities. 30,472 were youth and Female= 17,292 and male=13,180.

A further 174403 work seekers were provided with life skills interventions and employment counselling interventions to help them transition to the labour market. 131,568 were youth and Female= 83,105 and male= 48,463.

A 2. What strategy is in place in this regard?

The Department through its entities also provides assistance to support employment and also job preservation, these includes:

• (Transfer funding to Supported Employment Enterprises to provide special employment to People with Disabilities
• Transfer funding to Designated National Organizations and Workshops for People with Disabilities), a total 1041 workers are being subsidised of which, 489 are youth.
• Transfer funding to Productivity South Africa to promote Productivity and Competitiveness
• Transfer funding to Compensation Fund for Occupational Injuries and Diseases incurred by Public Servants
• Transfer funding to CCMA for job retention and job preservation activities.
• There is also the Labour Activation Programs that is provided by the UIF and the Compensation Fund.
• The Department is also developing a National Employment Policy that will be available soon for public comment that is anchored on 9 pillars.
• The Department is also making it easier for youth to gain access to entry level employment by preventing displacement, by foreign workers, through the finalisation of a Labour migration policy and related amendments to the Employment Services Act, 2014.

b. On what date is it envisaged that the numbers will begin to decrease?

It is difficult to predict exactly when the numbers of unemployment will begin to decrease as this is dependent on a number of factors, the most important of which, is economic growth. The latest quarterly labour force survey from Statistics South Africa indicates that there were about 269,000 less people unemployed in Q3:2022 than in Q2:2022. South Africa’s unemployment rate decreased by 1,0 percentage point to 32,9% in Q3:2022 compared to Q2:2022. Expanded unemployment rate decreased by 1,0 percentage point to 43,1% in Q3:2022 compared to Q2:2022.