Accomplishments and hurdles along the job creation journey

The Gauteng Department of Employment and Labour says creating employment and the management thereof has been a mixture of success and challenges in the province. The department was presenting its provincial overview in terms of service delivery and the job creation mandate to the Employment Standard (ES) Board. The ES Board is in the province to engage directly with the Department of Employment and Labour's management in Gauteng, the Sheltered Employment Enterprises (SEE) and Employment Solutions. The visit started on Tuesday and will conclude today. Deputy Director: Public Employment Services in Gauteng, Vusi Mazibuko, told the meeting that the department has created more opportunities, including from foreign countries such as Ireland, which has hired some of the job seekers in the Employment Services System of South Africa (ESSA) database. Daniel Kgwele, the Deputy Director: Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS), told the board that there seems to be a stubborn gap in terms of labour absorption and l abour participation affecting the 25 to 44-year-old age group. He suggested that public employment policies and strategy be employed to narrow the gap. He told the meeting that the department's efforts to present opportunities to different communities has at times been hampered by community leaders who want to dictate to the department who to employ. 'They stop us from recruiting in their areas and at times chase us away," he said. According to the Chief Director: Public Employment Services, Esther Tloane, more countries are showing an interest in importing South African work seekers. 'We are currently busy with the National Labour Migration Policy, which will deal with the movement of human resources in and out of the country," she said. According to the Deputy Director of Labour Centre Operations: Germiston, Shereen Ceaser, one of the centre's challenges is employers who do not comply with their Unemployment Insurance Fund contributions. ES Board Chairperson, Thembinkosi Josopu, told the gathering tha t they will give their observations and contributions, followed by their recommendation to the Minister. The ES Board will today visit Employment Solutions, an organisation for people with disabilities and later on conclude their tour at the Sheltered Employment Services in Silverton, Pretoria. Source: South African Government News Agency