Ramaphosa has pledged to leave no one behind in addressing the country’s high unemployment rate. During his speech on Thursday, the President admitted that the country needed fundamental change and reforms.
He further stated that the devasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on South Africa’s economy, resulting in mass unemployment, has sowed divisions in the country’s broader society,
Covid-19 has exacerbated the divide between those who are employed and those who are unemployed. Last year our unemployment rate reached its highest recorded level,
However, the government also intends to expand the Presidential Employment Stimulus through various means with an intended recruitment target of 1 million South Africans.
The first two phases of the Presidential Employment Stimulus programmes, which we launched in October 2020, have supported over 850 000 opportunities.
Ramaphosa also pointed out that the employment stimulus will also enable the Department of Home Affairs to recruit 10 000 unemployed young people for the digitisation of paper records, enhancing their skills and contributing to the modernisation of citizen services.
Although the country recorded an unemployment rate of 34.9% during the second quarter of 2021, the president stated that the country’s global business services sector is on track to create 500 000 new jobs over the next few years.
The country’s private sector is also expected to play a significant role as several projects, valued at R21 billion, are expected to start this year.
