Unemployment soars in Gauteng, yet the Economic Development Department fails to meet job targets

26 September 2023

Millions of Gauteng residents are struggling to make ends meet and to put food on the table due to a lack of employment opportunities, yet the Department of Economic Development constantly fails to meet its job creation targets.

Out of the target 180 000 jobs to be created by the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED) it only managed to create 1690 jobs. It is a drop in the ocean with a shortfall of 178 310. This is a clear indication that this department is not serious about creating employment opportunities for this province. This information was revealed in the department’s annual report for the 2022/23 financial year.

These job opportunities this department failed to create are part of the Economic Growth and Transformation Programme. The fact that there has been no confirmation from investors on this critical programme is concerning. Private investors are attracted to an enabling environment that is friendly to the needs of business. Government’s role is to create this conducive environment to grow the e economy of the province.

The township economy plays a pivotal role in providing job opportunities, particularly for our unemployed youth. Townships should be the centre of many of the employment opportunities in the province.

It is disappointing that in a province with 2.6 million unemployed, a critical target of job creation through the township economy could not be realised because the department was still waiting for money from potential investors.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng will be submitting questions regarding the job creation target to find out exactly what measures have been put in place to ensure that it is meet and who are the potential investors or partners in this programme.

Issued by Nicola Du Plessis, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Economic Development, 26 September 2023