Jobs Fund hosts think tank event on the future of work in South Africa

The Jobs Fund (JF), a R9-billion facility created by South Africa’s government in 2011 to promote job creation, hosted its sixth annual Learning Forum on 23 November at the Riversands Incubation Hub. The think tank event brings together a range of participants from the public, private and non-profit sectors to find practical solutions to factors hampering economic growth and employment.

The 2018 JF Learning Forum, titled The Future of Work in South Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions, discussed potential challenges and opportunities that the Fourth Industrial Revolution brings with regards to job creation and what the country should be doing to take advantage of the opportunities presented.

This year’s forum was hosted at the Riversands Incubation Hub in Diepsloot (a facility created by Century Properties in partnership with the JF) and allowed delegates to share knowledge on topical issues pertaining to the design, implementation and scaling up of job creation initiatives.

“The purpose of the Learning Forum is to bring together experts and thought leaders from industry, government, academia and the non-governmental sector, to share ideas with the aim of finding workable solutions to the employment challenges we face in South Africa,” said head of the Jobs Fund, Najwah Allie-Edries.

“Only through vigorous and robust dialogue that promotes critical thinking and collaborative problem solving between all stakeholders will we, as a country, be able to create a workable framework for creating sustainable and inclusive employment opportunities for our people.”

The South African government launched the JF in June 2011 with the vision of contributing to the national imperative of addressing high unemployment by co-financing public, private and non-government projects that provide jobs. As at 30 September, JF has a portfolio of 127 approved projects with a total allocation of R6,7 billion in grant funds.

These projects will potentially leverage an additional R9,5 billion from their partners to create

229 360 sustainable jobs, which will be a significant achievement in the context of the challenges the South African economy continues to face. The forum kicked off with six World Café style dialogue sessions, which encouraged participants with diverse views and experiences to discuss a specific topic from their unique perspectives.

These sessions covered topics ranging from the readiness of the South African education system to identify and train citizens for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, on the impact of automation and mechanisation on labour-intensive sectors. Thereafter a plenary discussion facilitated by media personality Joanne Joseph encouraged the speakers from the World Café style sessions to provide feedback, highlighting the key challenges identified as well as proposed solutions for job creation in the context of the shift to digital economics.

Allie-Edries concluded, “The impact of jobs goes far beyond the actual employment numbers achieved as each gainfully employed South African typically supports several other people as well, which also has direct implications for the economies of their broader communities.”

Among the plenary panellists who attended were Dr Beth Vale, lead researcher for Indlulamithi South African Scenarios 2030; Matsi Modise, founder and CEO of Furaha Afrika Holdings; Neil Coleman, co-director of the Institute for Economic Justice; Dr Vuyokazi Mahlati, president of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa; Tony Christodoulou, Africa chief information officer for the American Tower Corporation; and Francois Steenkamp, researcher at the University of Cape Town’s Development Policy Research Unit.

“We wish to extend our sincerest gratitude to our delegates, panellists and partners for helping us make this year’s Learning Forum a great success by contributing to the ongoing dialogue and understanding of how to boosts sustainable employment in South Africa,” said Allie-Edries.

“The impact of jobs goes far beyond the actual employment numbers achieved as each gainfully employed South African typically supports several other people as well, which also has direct implications for the economies of their broader communities,” concluded Allie-Edries.

Details: www.jobsfund.org.za