JOHANNESBURG - No young person should be turned away by an employer because of lack of work experience, the African National Congress (ANC) said on Wednesday.
ANC national executive committee member Ronald Lamola said the scourge of youth unemployment was a serious concern.
''The [ANC] lekgotla says young people in this country must find employment,and the ANC must stimulate the economy to enable young people to enter the job market. The lekgotla unanimously agreed to the scrapping of entry level experience requirements, even in government,'' said Lamola.
''We call on the private sector to do the same...we cannot expect a young graduate from Wits University to possess job experience...our young people must be able to enter the job market with ease and gain the experience.''
This followed Statistics SA Quarterly Labour Survey for 2018 released Tuesday that showed that young people bore the brunt of joblessness in the country. Unemployment increased from 26.7% in the first quarter this year to 27.2% in the second quarter. For young people aged between 15 and 34, unemployment was higher, at 38.8% compared to adults at 17.9% regardless of education.
The sector that lost more jobs was manufacturing which shed 105‚000 jobs followed by community‚ social and personal services at 93‚000 and trade with 57‚000 jobs lost.
In a public address on Tuesday after the two day lekgotla, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said the figures were worrying. He announced a stimulus package to curb joblessness.
''Given this economic environment, the [ANC] lekgotla directed government to move with urgency to develop and implement a stimulus package to ignite growth that will lead to the creation of jobs, especially for young people and women.These efforts should focus on rural communities and townships. This stimulus package will be based on existing budgetary resources and the pursuit of new investments while remaining committed to fiscal prudence,'' he said.