Question NW3810 to the Minister of Employment and Labour
20 November 2023 - NW3810
Ngcobo, Mr SL to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
What are the relevant details of how his department contributed to the (a) creation of youth employment and (b) support of youth entrepreneurship to curb rising poverty rates in the past three financial years?
Reply:
The Department registers more than1 million work seekers, provides career counselling to more than 300000 work seekers, and has placed about 60000 work seekers into employment, annually. For the period ending September 2023, 69% (32 816) of work seekers placed are young people aged 15-35 years and 31% (14 687) aged 36 years and above.
Through job creation investments the COIDA has created 1,325 additional jobs. The CCMA also assisted with the prevention of job losses. Between April 2023 and October 2023 more than 6000 jobs were saved.
Productivity SA’s Competitiveness Improvement Services (CIS) programme enhances the appropriate capacities of SMMEs and Co-operatives, targeting those in the productive or priority economic sectors to adopt world-class productivity enhancement best practices, focusing on products, processes and people. In Quarter 1 of 2023/24, CIS supported 420 enterprises within 20 districts contributing to 3500 jobs. Trained a total of 667 Entrepreneurs, managers and workers, and capacitated 247 Productivity Champions.
The UIF through Labour Activation Employment Programmes has placed 8 523 beneficiaries into employment opportunities and over 5 723 are youth and people belonging to vulnerable groups.
Labour Activation Programme is continuously placing beneficiaries in pursuit of the UIF annual target of 75 000 job opportunities for the 2023/24 financial year.
The Department also co-ordinates the Pathway management network, and contributes more than R 372 million annually to this process. Through the Pathway management network, more than 108,061, earning opportunities have been secured by youth, during the first quarter of 2023. Through the Youth Employment Service, which is a private sector initiative, more than 10695 youth secured workplace experience opportunities, through the revitalised youth service, more than 47000 youth gained insight into different fields of work. In collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training the Pathway Management Network has placed more than 16437 TVET graduates in opportunities.
Activities relating youth entrepreneurship, is also provided by the Department of Small Business Development and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).