Employment stimulus helps to create 8,000 new jobs

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Launched in October last year in response to the economic impact of the pandemic, the Presidential Employment Stimulus is designed to support a spectrum of opportunities, focusing on job creation through public employment; job retention in vulnerable sectors; direct support to livelihood strategies, as well as fast-tracking high impact employment enablers.

Its aim is to use direct public investment to support employment opportunities.

According to President Ramaphosa, most of the new jobs created have gone to previously unemployed youth.

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In his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa said one condition for accessing the incentive is that a proportion of new jobs must be sourced through inclusive hiring and must go to marginalised youth.

“The industry has committed to use SAYouth.mobi, a platform for young people to access a range of opportunities, as a tool to recruit young people into these jobs. The platform forms part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.

“We have proven that by actively searching for areas of opportunity, setting clear national goals, working collaboratively with industry associations and social partners, and putting the right conditions in place for growth, we can unlock new potential and create jobs for young people in particular.”

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President Ramaphosa said government introduced the Global Business Services Incentive just over two years ago to encourage investment and support job creation in the sector.

“When the pandemic first arrived on our shores, government worked closely with the sector to ensure continuity.

“South African global business service providers were able to shift quickly to remote operations, with clear and sensible guidelines to ensure that call centres could continue to provide essential services,” President Ramaphosa said.