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22 Jun 2012UNEMPLOYMENT: A Ticking Time Bomb or 240 000 Potential New Workforce‘
Recent Gauteng Business News
The root of all evil in South Africa remains unemployment. While the global unemployment figure amongst youths is 12.6%, a massive 35.9% of South African youths aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed. This is exacerbated in the traditional township setting where youths are unable to make their way to cities to find formal employment.
With this in mind; the Gauteng provincial government is leading the way by teaming up with Lulaway, and committing to twenty government-funded job centres which will be opened in various centres throughout Gauteng before the end of the financial year. The job centres are based on existing Lulaway models. Life skills and training will be linked to the centres thereby ensuring a higher success rate in both the screening process and the job interviews that follow.
Addressing corporate concerns that employing untried and untested youth adds to the risk inherent in any uptake of new employees, the Government has pledged to play an active role in streamlining the screening process.
Lulaway MD Errol Freeman says; “Lulaway provides the first innovative service to South African companies looking to hire the right employees in the most cost- and time-effective manner. It is therefore our intention to provide South African corporates with direct access to screened entry-level and semi-skilled workers, while addressing labour market inefficiencies in South Africa within the grassroots and blue collar labour market.”
”According to the latest South African quarterly labour force survey, 44% of ‘New Entrants’ into the job market, accounted for 44% of the total unemployment figure of 4 526 000 and 70.1% are aged between 15 and 34,” he adds.
By equipping employers with their own web portal on the Lulaway site, companies are able to quickly and effectively access information on potential employees who have already passed a screening process.
“Using our infrastructure will allow two consultants in each of the twenty booths to potentially screen between 240 000 and 270 000 job seekers in a twelve month period. The process takes about 15 minutes per candidate and includes rigorous screening and testing, designed to test skills, knowledge, aptitude and corporate fit. Relevant documentation is also scanned and photographs taken.”
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, the Department of Health and Social Development and Lulaway will be hosting a breakfast on Thursday the 28th Junewhere business leaders will be challenged to make use of this employment platform and assist in alleviating one of South AfricaÂ’s biggest economic crises. The opportunity now exists to employ a better calibre person while allowing the youth of the country access to a better life by becoming formally employed.
Tick tock, tick tock ........
Business News Sector Tags: Labour|
