Gauteng residents who are in desperate need of employment opportunities are once again failed by the Department of Economic Development. According to the third quarter report for the 2022/2023 financial year, the department was meant to create 40 000 jobs in the Global Business Services (GBS) sector, however only 245 new jobs have been created.
It is disappointing that this target was not met considering that this sector could be a game changer in job creation in this province. This sector includes services such as call centre operations, customer services, shared services and labelling data for machine learning.
According to the quarterly report this target was not met as the department has not yet secured sufficient sites for operation and they have not attracted private sector partners. Gauteng has a high unemployment rate and the GBS sector can play a crucial role in bringing down the unemployment numbers.
The DA has already tabled questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to determine when the sites for this target will be identified and how or if any funds have been secured to refurbish these sites so that they are full functional and operational.
This department has a responsibility to ensure that the correct environment is created for the private sector to invest in the Gauteng economy. However, the fact that the GBS target is not even close to being met is worrying.
We will continue to put pressure on the department to ensure that these targets which are critical to growing the economy are met.
By Nicola Du Plessis MPL – DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Economic Development
