The public employment service of the department of labour has placed 96,505 people in jobs, the department said on Tuesday.
Director general Nkosinathi Nhleko told Parliament that the volume of placements depends on the availability of vacancies in the economy.
Another constraint was that some people profiled though the Employment Services for SA (ESSA) project could not be matched to jobs. ESSA is an electronic platform that seeks to link job seekers with employers.
It now has 600,000 job seekers listed in its database along with 2,475 registered employers and 1,162 private employment agencies.
Nhleko claimed that the department had been able to save 15,165 jobs through the Unemployment Insurance Fund's training lay-off scheme.
Under the scheme, workers of companies distressed by economic conditions could agree to forgo normal wages and attend training. They are paid a training allowance.
Nhleko says employers benefited by reducing payroll costs while workers' skills levels were improved at limited cost.
Source: Sapa via I-NET Bridge