More than 500 000 people have directly benefited from the Presidential Employment Stimulus.
The stimulus, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last year, was designed in response to the severe economic impact of the Coronavirus Disease pandemic.
As part of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, the Presidential Employment Stimulus aims to create new employment, provide livelihood support and protect existing jobs in vulnerable sectors.
According to The Presidency’s fourth progress report, 532 180 people benefited from the intervention by the end of March 2021.
“This includes 422 786 jobs created or retained and
109 394 livelihoods supported,” says The Presidency.
Livelihood support includes production input vouchers for farmers, awards to the creative sector and income support for Early Childhood Development service providers.
A further 161 972 opportunities are still being processed as part of phase one of the stimulus, meaning this phase will benefit 694 52 people.
An additional allocation of R11 billion has been made in the budget for 2021/22 to extend the stimulus to a second phase.
“An intensive process is currently underway to allocate these funds to programmes that will have the greatest impact in creating jobs and supporting livelihoods, including through the continuation of several existing programmes,” adds The Presidency.
An online dashboard has been developed to allow the public to access detailed information on the stimulus and monitor its implementation.
The dashboard will be updated regularly as data is received from various departments.
“The launch of this tool reflects government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the stimulus, and the use of technology to enhance its impact,” says The Presidency.
The Presidential Employment Stimulus has provided support to South Africans in all provinces and across all age groups.
It has created work opportunities and helped people earn an income while the labour market recovers.
The online dashboard is available at: www.stateofthenation.gov.za/employment-stimulus-dashboard. – SAnews.gov.za
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