Budget for Long Term Job Creation and Employment Opportunities in South Africa

For those of you that may not know, on Tuesday the 21^st Of October, Finance Minister Mr Trevor Manual delivered his medium term budget speech or budget adjustment speech, as some refer to it, placing greater emphasis on job creation and the further reduction of unemployment and poverty in South Africa.

Despite the 5.8% reduction in unemployment over the past 5 years (March ‘03 to March ‘08), Manual has emphasised the requirement to create jobs that are more stable in nature and service the long term needs of the South Africa economy in a more sustainable and enduring manner.

As quoted in a newspaper article published in The Star, 22 October ‘08 (by Sibusiso Ngalwa), job creation has been focussed on Infrastructure, Construction and Environmental/ Social sectors of the South African Job Market.

According to Manuals reports during his budget adjustment speech on Tuesday, more funds (Approx R4.1 Billion) will be injected into the EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) over the next 3 years with the intention of boosting long term job creation and employment  opportunities that offer sustainable and enduring promises to Job Seekers.

Such financial backing is expected to create 155 000 long term permanent jobs per year, until 2011 which will result in a round 465 000 jobs in the next 3 years with particular focus in;

• Community Health Services (including home based care)

• Construction, Rehabilitation and Environmental Programmes (projects based employment)

• NGO and Community Based Organisations

What’s more; upon delivery of his 2009 budget speech, Manual has suggested that even further wealth will be injected into South Africa’s Employment Intensive Programmes, further boosting job creation with the objective of reaching a projected target of creating a total of 5 Million jobs by the year 2014.

For further information regarding Trevor Manual’s  2008 medium term budget speech please refer to the National Treasury website (www.treasury.gov.za).

Thanks for taking the time out to read today’s post.

Please feel free to leave any comments or your views on how you feel such intentions will in fact impact on reducing the current rate of (23.5%) unemployment in South Africa.

Thanks again.

Take Care and Peace Out!

Jo blog

jobloag@jobs.co.za

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 2:35 pm and is filed under JoBlog's Workplace, The Employment Times. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.