Labour department on job creation drive

OVER 100 000 KwaZulu-Natal residents are set to benefit from the creation of thousands of employment opportunities, according to the Department of Employment and Labour.

The department said the Labour Activation Programme would be carried out through its entity, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), with the support of the KZN provincial government.

Speaking at the Durban Exhibition Centre this week, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said this programme was part of the commitment by government to create two million job and entrepreneurial opportunities over a three-year period.

“This was a commitment made at the beginning of the sixth administration in 2019, but was delayed due to the advent of Covid-19, business disruptions in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng and the floods in this province,” he said.

The department said the projects in KZN would cover a variety of sectors including the textile, maritime, agriculture, construction, ICT, energy, funeral services, hospitality and landscaping sectors.

The minister said: “The total target of projects for KwaZulu-Natal is 49 and is to benefit 102 500 beneficiaries at a budget of R3.6bn.”

He added that the KZN launch would be part of a R23.8bn national job creation plan that would soon be rolled out. The department said these opportunities would run between 12 and 36 months and would create more than 700 000 employment opportunities nationwide.

According to the minister, the application and vetting process for these projects started in 2022 and they had been subjected to quality assurance measures.