Strengthening collaboration between government and private sector is crucial for driving economic growth and creating sustainable employment, said the Department of Employment and Labour.
This as the department in collaboration with the North West Provincial Government, organised labour, business, and social partners, convened a round table to address key labour challenges and strategies for economic growth.
Thursday’s session focused on identifying obstacles hindering economic expansion and job creation, with stakeholders highlighting government red tape as a major impediment to progress.
Participants emphasised the importance of strengthening advocacy for existing government and private sector programmes to drive sustainable employment.
In response to concerns raised by some attendees, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, stated that to tackle the unemployment crisis, the department through its Public Employment Services (PES) Division has been working to facilitate job creation in collaboration with government, business, labour, and civil society.
She highlighted Career and Jobs Fairs as a key initiative in addressing unemployment, providing a vital platform for job seekers to connect with potential employers.
“These Jobs Fairs serves as a bridge between job seekers and potential employers, ensuring that unemployed individuals, particularly the youth will gain direct access to job opportunities, training programmes and skills development initiatives.
“The Jobs Fairs play a crucial role in empowering unemployed work seekers by offering a structured and supportive environment where they can explore various career paths, receive guidance on employability, and interact with industry professionals,” Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said.
North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi reiterated the province’s commitment to youth empowerment, aligning with the seventh administration’s priority agenda.
“Youth empowerment remains an apex priority of the 7th administration and in my acceptance speech last year as well as the Province’s 2025 Policy Statement, I highlighted a litany of intervention measures to address this scourge.
“However, addressing a problem of this magnitude needs all of us to work together as government, the private sector, labour, business, civil society, Dikgosi and all other stakeholders to respond to this challenge,” the Premier said.
Thursday’s session is expected to be followed by a handover of the Labour Activation Programme (LAP) contracts by the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth at the Rustenburg Civic Centre on Friday, 14 March 2025.
The handover will run simultaneously with a Jobs/Career Fair where jobseekers and unemployed graduates will receive career counselling and apply for available opportunities on the Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) portal, among other services that will be rendered.
ESSA is an online recruitment service of the Department of Employment and Labour, available to all South African citizens. – SAnews.gov.za
