The future of our country is in our hands - all of us. Unemployment is part of what was inherited from our ugly past. While no one today wants to own up to the apartheid mess, the ANC has rolled up its sleeves and tackled the problem of unemployment from every possible angle.
While some opposition parties claim to care about addressing unemployment, their actions are in sharp contrast to the cause. The opposition parties have perfected the art of sounding politically correct, while on the other hand putting road blocks in every progressive intervention that the ANC introduces.
In the world of today, which is characterised by globalisation, the unemployment problem has become a worldwide problem. It is endemic in both developed and developing countries. However, for developing countries this problem brings more challenges, like increased poverty and complications such as political and social instability.
Unemployment is probably the most severe problem that the South African society is experiencing and it is conceivably the root cause of many other problems, such as high crime rates, violence, abject poverty and so on. Prominent leaders in and outside government have also stated that no government will be able to govern South Africa if this problem is not addressed effectively.
In the third quarter of 2013 the South African jobless rate decreased to 24,7%, which is the lowest value in almost two years. The number of people without work went down to 4,66 million from 4,72 million in the previous three months. Between the second and third quarters of 2013, the number of employed persons increased by 308 000, while the number of unemployed persons decreased by 114 000. This resulted in a rise of 194 000 in the labour force. The formal sector and private households contributed positively to the increase in employment, up by 314 000 and 39 000 respectively.
In contrast, there was a decline in employment in the informal sector, down by 39 000, and in agriculture, down by 6 000. The uneconomically active population decreased by 82 000 persons, largely as a result of the decline in discouraged work seekers that has gone down by 125 000, while the remainder of the uneconomically active group increased by 43 000.
The Employment Services Bill is a welcome intervention as it seeks to introduce regulatory instruments to facilitate, among others, matching work seekers with available work opportunities; registering work seekers; registering job vacancies and other work opportunities; facilitating the placing of work seekers with employers in other work opportunities; advising workers on access to education and training; advising workers on access to social security benefits; providing specialised services to assist vulnerable work seekers; facilitating the exchange of information among labour market participants, including employers, workers and work seekers, private employment agencies, Sector Education and Training Authorities and training providers; facilitating the employment of foreign nationals - non-South Africans-in a manner that is consistent with the objects of this Act and the Immigration Act; and generally performing any other function in terms of employment law or prescribed in terms of this Act.
The Bill provides an elegant answer to the frequently asked question regarding what the Department of Labour is doing to facilitate the absorption of the unemployed into the labour market. [Interjections.] Cheers! [Laughter.] This Bill, if signed into law, will go a long way in providing a structured approach to addressing the unemployment scourge in South Africa. It will also test the commitment of the private sector to work with government in the efforts to address unemployment.
Any party that is not on the side of this Bill cannot claim to be part of the solution to our problems. We are convinced that it is a step in the right direction and, given time, real collaboration has a great potential to move the country forward.
Therefore, we call on all who love this country to step forward and be part of doing the right thing. Supporting the Bill will be a good start. Furthermore, the Bill covers issues such as the promotion of employment of the youth and other vulnerable work seekers; job retention; employment information; reporting on vacancies and filling of positions; registration of private employment agencies; cancellation of registration of private employment agencies when their licences expire; regulating the practice of the charging of fees by private employment agencies; the establishment of an employment services board; regularising the establishment and functioning of Productivity SA; and promoting of supported work for persons with disabilities - those are the factories that used to be called "sheltered employment factories".
The Bill captures the essence of government's New Growth Path, the Industrial Policy Action Plan and the 2030 vision in the National Development Plan. It follows, therefore, that this Bill serves as an excellent instrument to realise the national agenda and key priorities of this country. Amandla! [Power!]
HON MEMBERS: Awethu! [To the people!] [Applause.]