Addressing youth unemployment

City working relentlessly to address youth unemployment

Youth unemployment is arguably one of the biggest crises facing our country, which is why the City of Cape Town is hard at work to encourage and stimulate sustainable job creation.

Across communities throughout Cape Town, City government officials have met with 20- and 30-somethings in need of work and connected them with various City-overseen initiatives.

Through the Economic Growth Directorate’s platforms and partnerships, thousands of young Capetonians have been trained and placed in jobs.

Specifically, the City directs funding to partners in high-growth industries for the particular purpose of job creation.

The doors of opportunity have opened for thousands of young Capetonians in green tech, marine manufacturing, IT and other industries.

Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator The Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator Project – funded primarily by the City, the National Skills Fund and private sector partners – is an example of a programme that has helped just under 2 000 young people develop skills in two of the metro’s biggest industries: clothing and textiles, and call centres.

Through City programmes such as these, Cape Town has helped South Africa rise to the very top of international rankings in the call centre industry. For the second consecutive year, executives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and USA said South Africa was ‘the most favoured offshore CX delivery location in 2022’ in the annual Ryan Strategic Advisory Front Office BPO Omnibus Survey. Cape Town and the Western Cape are the most sought-after location for offshore CX delivery in the country, which, in the past year, has improved its market share to 65% of all delivery in South Africa.

In total, the Cape Town sector created almost 5 500 international jobs in 2021, bringing the overall jobs servicing global clients to over 42 000. Together with domestic-facing clients, more than 70 000 people now work in the sector in Cape Town.

While it is important to create these programmes, of equal necessity are the platforms that help people to source opportunities at little financial cost to themselves.

Jobs Connect The City has responded to this need with Jobs Connect, the City’s flagship Workforce Development Programme, which helps work-seekers source knowledge, training and employment opportunities, and links businesses with the appropriate individuals to help them expand their operations. The online platform, which includes a skills assessment, is paperless and zero-rated for MTN and Vodacom users.

When new opportunities are posted, candidates with matching criteria are prompted by SMS to apply and are notified about interviews via WhatsApp or phone call.

Since the start of this programme in 2018, 5 241 people have been placed in various jobs.

Leading metro The fact that Cape Town has long been and remains the metro with the lowest unemployment rate is proof that these initiatives are working. But 30% unemployment is still far too high. We all know far too well the socio-economic ripple effects of this situation.

With the R713 million Economic Growth budget that has been approved by Council, the City will be able to expand on these programmes. The budget plots a roadmap for bolstering Cape Town’s small businesses and industries, and increasing Capetonians’ access to opportunities.

Make no mistake that the City is working relentlessly to create an inclusive economy of hope and confidence.