BusinessLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an ambitious programme to address youth employment in his state of the nation address (Sona) in parliament on Thursday night.  

More than half of all young people are unemployed and of the 1.2-million youths who enter the labour market each year, about two-thirds remain outside employment, education or training.  Ramaphosa said the presidential youth employment intervention, which will consist of six priority actions over the next five years, would be implemented immediately.  The intervention will involve a youth employment initiative which will be funded by setting aside 1% of the budget.  “This will be through top slicing from the budget which will require that we all tighten our belts and redirect resources to address the national crisis of youth unemployment,” the president stated.  Minister of finance Tito Mboweni will prioritise this initiative and give specific details when he delivers the medium-term budget policy statement later in 2020.  The intervention will involve creating pathways for young people into the economy either by online, the phone or in person to give them active support, information and work readiness training.  Five prototype sites for these pathways will be launched in five provinces in February to form the basis of a national network that will reach 3-million young people through multiple channels.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive
• Read too, Ramaphosa talks tough on youth unemployment crisis, at Moneyweb

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