South Africa & China Host Job Fair to Strengthen Ties and Create Job Opportunities for Unemployed Youth

• South Africa-China Economy and Trade Association held a successful job fair in Johannesburg to address the country's unemployment
• Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi believed that the fair was a milestone for the countries
• Job opportunities will be available in several industries including mining, clothing, information technology, logistics and finance

JOHANNESBURG - At least 20 000 South Africans could find themselves employed by 100 Chinese companies that operate in the country within the next three years. A successful job fair was hosted by South Africa-China Economy and Trade Association (SACETA) to assist the youth with finding employment.

The country’s Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi saw the fair as an opportunity to build the economy to benefit residents while reducing the high unemployment rate in the country. He said the event celebrated the relationship the two countries share.

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Nxesi delivered the keynote speech at the event while China’s ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong recited the keynote address. According to Xiaodong, China plans to speed up the building of projects for employment training and will provide employment assistance to graduates. He added that China is ready to work with South Africa to develop different approaches and be an asset to each other, according to The Citizen.

Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Alvin Botes commended China’s efforts and hoped that the South African youth will embrace the employment opportunities being offered. Job opportunities will be available in several industries including mining, clothing, information technology, logistics and finance, SABC News reported.

South Africa's unemployment rate increases to 35.3% in the 4th quarter, 7.6 million people without jobs

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Briefly News also reported South Africans are facing a bleak reality following Statistics South Africa's (Stats SA) announcement that the unemployment rate has reason yet again in the fourth quarter of 2021. The rate of joblessness went from 34.9% to 35.3% from October to December 2021. This translates to 7.9 million in South Africa who are without work.

The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey was released on Tuesday, 29 March and shows that an additional 270 000 individuals became jobless in the last quarter, according to SABC News. On the bright side 262 000 people found employment in the fourth quarter and that brought the employment stats to 14.5 million employed individuals in South Africa.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 46.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, according to the broader definition. According to Fin24, the formal sector employment was able to increase by 143 000, however, 48 000 jobs in the informal sector were lost. Stats SA has noted that the unemployment rate ack among black South Africans remains the highest with an average of 39.1% from 38.6% in the third quarter.

Source: Briefly News