South Africa will have to wait for an increase in job creation because of the economic situation, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.
”It is not likely that the current reversal will last as long as the recession in the early 1990s, but our recovery might not be as strong as we might hope,” he said.
”Even if the economy begins to grow again next year, we will have to wait a little longer for a significant increase in new job creation,” Zuma told the Confederation of Black Business Organisations at the Sandton Convention Centre.
”It always takes some time, even years after growth starts, for jobs to be created in significant numbers,” he said.
The meeting was a follow-up to previous talks which Zuma listened to the challenges facing black professionals on Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), affirmative action, and government’s failure to pay small and medium enterprises for their services on time.
In his state of the nation address earlier this year, Zuma said the government planned to create 500 000 job opportunities by the end of the with another four million jobs by 2014.
This was why the agreement between government and labour, business and civil society to respond to the global financial crisis was so important, he said.
”I will be meeting with the leaders of the teams developing and implementing the crisis response programmes early next month. That will be the time to assess our progress and consider the way forward,” he said.
Zuma said attention should be paid to the plight of the poor and low-paid.
”I am confident that some of the measures already introduced and others in the pipeline will help to cushion the impact of the crisis for the most vulnerable.”
South Africans needed to work together to meet the challenges of the economic situation.
Zuma urged trade unions and employers to conduct wage negotiations in good faith.
”Wage negotiations around this time are not an unusual occurrence, nor is the resorting to strike action. This happens every year.
”Due to the current economic conditions, these negotiations may be more difficult this year.
”Employers and workers must negotiate in good faith and be prepared to understand each other’s position,” he said, expressing concern at the service delivery protests across the country.
Acknowledging that there were service problems in some areas, Zuma said many government departments had been reconfigured to improve the way they functioned.
”We are putting systems in place to create a more responsive and more effective government,” he said.
Zuma said the government would always listen to the people’s concerns and would work with communities to address their problems.
”We will always do that. We will govern with the people.”
Reiterating the government’s stance on BBBEE, Zuma said its framework was sound and that the policy was ”adequate, inclusive and balanced”, but that its implementation and communication needed to be ”sharpened”.
National talks on BBBEE would be held in May 2010.
Also present at the event was Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane, newly appointed Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus and a host of national and provincial Ministers and their deputies.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane chaired the session. — Sapa