NORTH WEST TAKES STEPS TO TACKLE UNEMPLOYMENT

• A Labour Activation Plan between the North West Province and the Department of Employment and Labour is set to create 24 000 job opportunities in the province.
• This is one of the policy announcements North West Premier Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi made during the State of the Province Address to help find solutions to high levels of unemployment in the province.
• During a discussion involving the North West premier and the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, the deputy minister noted that young people will be trained in various fields such as engineering, agriculture and artisanal work in preparation for the job market.

Over 24 000 job opportunities are expected to help tackle the unemployment challenge in the North West.

This was revealed during a roundtable discussion involving North West Premier Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, as well as representatives from organised labour, business, and civil society.

The initiative, which involves collaborative work between the North West Provincial Government and the Department of Employment and Labour, will be implemented through a Labour Activation Plan.

The Labour Activation Plan initiative, funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund, aims to enhance employability, enable entrepreneurship, and preserve jobs through skills training, enterprise development, and other intervention measures.

“This initiative has been in the pipeline for some time, and I am happy that it is coming to fruition. This is one of the policy announcements I made during the State of the Province Address to help find solutions to high levels of unemployment in the province,” Mokgosi said on Thursday, 13 March 2025.

In the State of the Province Address delivered last month, the premier reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating job opportunities through public employment programs, such as expanded public works, community health workers, community works, and labour activation programmes.

These initiatives aim to create over 150 000 job opportunities in the next five years, targeting women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

At the roundtable, Deputy Minister Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said the roll-out of the programme is in full swing in various provinces and that the North West is the latest beneficiary.

“Young people will be trained in various fields such as engineering, agriculture and artisanal work in preparation for the job market and consequently placed in various industries,” Nemadzinga-Tshabalala added.

First published in SA News on 14 March 2025