Unemployment among the youth is a ticking time bomb, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Gauteng Economic Indaba, in Johannesburg, he noted that the number of young people who were unable to find productive economic activities was increasing and suggested a state of emergency be declared around youth unemployment in the country.
“In the Gauteng economy, we have set a target to employ 500 000 youths by 2019. If we are able to collaborate with the private sector, we could possibly increase that number to one-million,” he stated.
“Drugs are destroying the next generation of South African workers and leaders, and crime is destroying the fabric of the existing society, reversing the gains of democracy,” said Makhura.
He noted that, to date, 50 000 young people had found jobs through the Gauteng Tshepo 500 000 initiative, a Gauteng-based employment creation and entrepreneurship development programme that provides training and mentoring to young people through a set of projects.
Makhura urged businesses to take extraordinary measures to open the market to the youth, especially through entry-level positions for those who did not have experience, stressing that business should not be too rigid regarding entry-level job opportunities for young people.
