The drive by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant to help facilitate the creation of a platform for work seekers to interact directly with employers with the purpose of finding employment opportunities without having to pay for the privilege gains momentum on Friday 12 when the Department of Labour (DoL) hosts another series of national Job Fair in Midrand, Gauteng.
The latest Job Fair is to be held at Gallagher Estate, Midrand on Friday (October 12) ties with Oliphant’s vision to create decent employment through inclusive economic growth. The DoL’s Job Fair will be graced by other ministers from different departments, the Premier of Gauteng, the Mayor of Johannesburg and prominent Business People in the Gauteng province.
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 imminent passing of the new Public Employment Services (PES) Bill 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 PES officials 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.
The official launch of the Job Fair was done by the Honourable President Zuma and Minister Oliphant in Richards Bay in July 2012.
More Job Fairs are lined-up to be held in Mpumalanga, Western Cape and North West.
Media is invited.
Contact person:
Buli Kapa
Tel: 011 853 0313
Cell: 082 871 0757
E-mail: buli.kapa@labour.gov.za
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant to punt job ascent in Gauteng
