The drive by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant to help facilitate the development of a comprehensive database that will help employers and potential employees find work without having to pay for the privilege gains momentum on Friday when the Department of Labour (DoL) hosts another in a series of national Job Fairs in Bloemfontein, Free State.
The latest Job Fair to be held at the Vista Arena, Church Street on Friday 14 September 2012 ties with Oliphant’s vision to create decent employment through inclusive economic growth. The DoL’s Job Fair will be held alongside the Free State Provincial government’s Job Summit which is expected to be attended by members of the provincial government.
Oliphant has reiterated that the hosting of the Job Fairs was a testament to the resolve by government to leave no stone unturned in finding solution to the problem of joblessness. She said the expected passing of the new Public Employment Services Bill currently with law makers would give the necessary impetus to resolve the scourge of unemployment in South Africa.
“There are many social partners including labour and business. We are saying for the sake of our children and their future, we need to open our hands and hold each other as we move with speed to restore hope to our people,” Oliphant said.
The Minister said government recognises that its role extends wider than just policy. She said it was for this reason that the department has also channelled its entities such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Compensation Fund to invest money in a socially responsible way.
The Job Fairs are targeting the unemployed youth who dropped out of school, unemployed youth with school exit certificates, unemployed graduates, workers who are under employed and retrenched workers. A DoL PES’ state-of-the-art bus manned by counselors would be on hand to register job seekers in its Employment Services System of South Africa (Essa) an initiative where work-seekers, opportunities are presented and employers meet via an information technology system.
To date, the inaugural Job Fair was held in June in the Eastern Cape, this was followed by the official launch of the Job Fair concept by President Zuma and Oliphant in Richards Bay. Last month another Fair was held in the diamond Province of Kimberley and earlier this month in Limpopo.
More Job Fairs are lined-up to be held in North West, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, and Gauteng.
Enquiries:
Musa Zondi
Tel: 012 392 9625 /021 466 7167
Cell: 082 901 8081
E-mail: musa.zondi@labour.gov.za
Labour Minister Oliphant to punt job ascent in Free State
