The Minister was speaking at an employer briefing session at Digital Hub in Botshabelo in the Free State on Wednesday, 24 January. The briefing session coincided with the start of the two-day Jobs Fair held at Kaizer Sebothelo Stadium – Botshabelo Arena.
“We are willing and ready to assist you in the recruitment and selection of your future employees, free of charge. In other words, no employer will be charged labour brokering fees where you opt to use our systems. We offer similar services free of charge to work seekers.
“Please get involved in these initiatives so that you are not left behind. They benefit companies; they benefit work seekers, particularly the youth, and they contribute to economic development and help build social cohesion,” the Minister said.
Wednesday’s briefing was also led by discussions on National Labour Migration Policy, the Employment Equity discussions, Labour Activation Programme presentation, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act and the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy.
“I don’t have to lecture you as employers on the high rate of crime that we are currently experiencing. The youth remain vulnerable in the labour market, it is a ticking time bomb and represents the greatest risk to social stability in South Africa. Mind-sets need to change, innovations need to be sought and collaborations strengthened to bring about a halt to the staggering unemployment amongst youth.
“From our side, we have started this initiative - engaging in a number of Jobs and Career Fairs across the country - and we have been running them for the last two years. We have introduced state of the art mobile units that are assisting a great deal in servicing work seekers. We have partnered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), as well as with the Department of Basic Education (DBE),” Nxesi said.
He said the partnership with institutions of learning was part of Education for Employability (E4E) - a joint project funded by the European Union to smooth the transition from school to work.
“We are supporting the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative and coordinating various interventions in this regard. We continue to make funding available under the UIF Labour Activation Programme towards various partnership projects designed to create employment,” he said.
The department is this week providing an integrated service delivery programme which also includes taking services to the people, unemployment insurance processing, administering the compensation for occupational injuries and diseases claims and conducting blitz inspections.
On Thursday, the Minister is expected to address work seekers during the jobs fair at Kaizer Sebothelo Stadium – Botshabelo Arena.
The Free State Jobs Fair follows on the heels of others held last year in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Limpopo.
In early January, the department also held a jobs fair in Thulamahashe in Mpumalanga province. More job fairs are to be held in George, Cape Town and other provinces.
The Department of Employment and Labour Jobs Fair concept seeks to stimulate employment of work seekers particularly amongst youth. The event also provides an opportunity where job seekers can interact with potential employers for placement and learn about available job opportunities.
It is an initiative championed by the Department’s Public Employment Services (PES) branch and seeks to create opportunities for work seekers and provide a platform to interact with prospective employers.
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