In a few weeks we will start with celebrations of what we call Youth Month. This is the month which commemorates the gallantry of the youth of 1976 who continue to inspire us. In June of that year, youths armed with nothing more than stones took on the might of the apartheid military junta in the streets of Soweto and other townships demanding that they be given a better chance in life. This was the essence of their fight. Afrikaans represented a move to dent their future and they would have none of it.
Fast forward to 2012. The youth still faces the challenges about their role and space in society. It is no secret that one of the biggest challenges the youth face today is unemployment. There are other attendant challenges which confront the youth of today.
But at the same, we also need to acknowledge that today’s youth have a better traction in life with better education compared to their peers back then, a more inclusive society that has better chances and the possibility of putting into action whatever their imagination allows them.
The poet and businessman Samuel Ullman must have been thinking about this when he penned that famous poem on the youth. He says:
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
But this state of mind needs to be given the outlet and space to exercise its power of thought and imagination.
Programme director,
The problem of youth unemployment is a real problem – worldwide. According to the International Labour Organisation, young people are three times more likely than adults to be out of a job.
The ILO further estimates that between 80 to 100 million youth worldwide are unemployed. In South Africa, it is estimated that approximately 3 million of the total unemployed people are aged between 15 and 34. This figures confirms that young people are victims of long term unemployment.
These are depressing figures. But we cannot afford to lose hope. We must constantly apply our minds to solutions to this problem and this is what this summit seeks to do.
It is taking place on the eve of two important international sessions that are going to deliberate and pronounce on some lasting solutions that must be considered in dealing with youth unemployment.
The first one is the G20 Ministers of Labour and Employment Session scheduled to take place in Mexico in Guadalajara under the leadership of the Mexican Presidency. The Ministers appointed a special youth unemployment task team that has to date explored interventions from a range of countries in the fields of policies, agreements and programmes.
The Youth Unemployment Task Team, to which South Africa was represented, has since produced a draft progress report and key recommendations that G20 Ministers of Labour and Employment are currently considering. The Minister will welcome your comments on some of the key recommendations before attending this International meeting in Mexico on May 17 and 18.
The second major event that prompted this Summit, is the scheduled discussion during this year’s ILO International Labour Conference discussion on Youth Unemployment taking place from 28 May to 16 June 2012 in Geneva.
I am glad that despite the time constraints and a range of other activities taking place in the country, we have managed to organise such an event before the June ILC. I am sure South Africa will be counted amongst the countries that managed against all odds to have a South African discussion on this matter.
All things being equal, we needed to have had such a workshop at local level, followed by the SADAC one and finally the African Regional one. I was briefed on the NYDA involvement in the Pan African Youth Movement interventions and the position that Chairperson, Mr Andile Lungisa holds in the body. I invited him to address the African Ministers of Labour, Employment and Social Affairs last year in Sandton.
There is no doubt in my mind that the youth of our country are capable and will study some of the themes and recommendations contained in the discussion documents carefully and that your contribution will assist us to go to both meetings better prepared.
I am particularly pleased that you chose “Decent work for Youth” as the theme of the summit and that you will amongst others discuss:
- How to establish a participative youth forum that engages issues around youth employment
- Ideas that will propel employment action that results in decent work for youth
- Learn from other countries on how they dealt with youth employment
The current administration is seized with finding ways of not only creating conditions conducive to employments but to save the jobs for those already in employment. To the end, the department’s Public Employment Services together with its entities such as the Unemployment Insurance, Compensation Fund, Sheltered Employment Factories, the CCMA and Productivity SA, has done a lot towards facilitating access to employment, saving jobs that were likely to be lost, providing interim income relief in case of job loss or injuries and occupationally related diseases, maintaining industrial peace and re-instatements where dismissals were found to be unfair.
As the department of labour, we have a responsibility to do all that is possible to keep people in employment, ensuring that workers are trained and gain more skills in their jobs, that people are rewarded accordingly, and having people working in safe environment.
These workplaces should maintain at least the minimum set labour standards and most importantly workplaces must have forums to consult employees on a range of issues that might be affecting them. Afterall, workers know best what happens on the shopfloor.
Simply put, that is what decent work is all about. By decent work we mean work pursued under the conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The level of the job does not matter as long as it embodies these principles.
Currently the Department of Labour, through PES offers,
- Registration of work seekers
- Registration of vacancies and opportunities
- Provide career guidance and information
- Registers Private Employment Agencies
- Works very closely with Home affairs in the management of international labour migration.
- Provide assistance to companies in distress through its Training Lay-off scheme and Turn Around Solutions
- Offer protective employment to people with disabilities through Sheltered Employment Factories
The transfer amongst others form the Department of institutions such as Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the Skills Development Functions made us to rethink how we can be more focussed and rebuild our Public employment Services.
It is against this background that we have tabled the Employment Services Bill currently before NEDLAC. Through this Bill we are hoping to strengthen and expand on these services and hope that the youth fraternity will partner with us.
In conclusion, programme director, I must say I am pleased that the ILO Pretoria Office, together with National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the South African Youth Council (SAYC) and the Department are jointly hosting the this National Youth Employment Summit.
This provides hope for the future. Mary Macleod Bethunie,the former child of slaves who started her life picking cotton but pulled herself up and became an acclaimed educator had this hope in youth when she said:
“We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends”
I hope that the same leadership shown in coordinating this workshop, will be maintained post the two sessions that I talked about, and that as a collective, we can reflect on the final recommendations, share experiences of other countries and most importantly, we can develop and implement programmes together with other social partners, that are going to make a difference in the lives of young people in our country.
I Thank You
