The Department of Employment and Labour, led by Minister Thulas Nxesi, will on Thursday be hosting a jobs fair at the Durban Exhibition Centre to bring employees and employers together in hopes of curing the country’s employment slump. Picture: GCIS
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi will be in Durban on Thursday together with Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi for the unveiling of the new public employment services buses and job fair, in hopes to plug a hole in South Africa’s dismal unemployment numbers.
According to the Department of Employment and Labour, the job fair will feature prospective employees and employers.
“In addition, work-seekers will have an opportunity to register on the Department’s Employment Services of South Africa (Essa) database,” the Department said.
Delegates from the BRICS nations, which included Brazil, Russia, India and China, will also attend the unveiling of the new buses ceremony.
The buses are expected to be used in rural communities and locations where public employment services are not easily available to youth and job-seekers.
The buses are reportedly fitted with equipment like computers, solar panels, and network systems to aid these prospective job-seekers.
"During the Jobs Fair, the Department will also provide work-seekers with skills on drafting their curriculum vitae, job hunting, interview preparation, and work ethics, as well as career assessments to match them with the appropriate professional path to follow,” Director of Public Employment Services, Zanele Maseko said.
With South Africa’s unemployment rate reaching over 32% according to StatsSA - the highest since the 2008 financial crisis - it's no saying whether the job fair will bear fruit, as Minister Nxesi oversees one of the worst slumps in the country’s employment history.
Labour stats from Statistic South Africa show that just under eight million South Africans are unemployed, while 3.3 million people are discouraged job seekers.
Compared to countries like Japan, where the majority of the population is considered elderly, South Africa is made up mostly of the millennial age cohort, many of whom cannot find employment in the current economic state.
Nxesi said on Wednesday that BRICS nations will prioritise the protection and upskilling of workers in the informal economy, the Sunday Times reported.
This was during a media briefing in uMhlanga as part of the BRICS employment working group (EWG).
Nxesi explained that the informal sector formed a large part of the economy and workforce, and by finding ways of developing small businesses, the country’s employment rate could be increased.
The EWG will continue on Thursday at the Durban Exhibition Centre in the CBD.
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