Thank you, Chairperson.
These areas of priority are a direct effort in improving the policy framework that governs and regulates the labour market, as doing so is key to laying the basis and foundation for greater equity and reduction of inequalities.
As part of our ongoing effort and contribution in bringing about a society on the basis of equality, fairness and social justice, our branches and public entities within the department have outlined plans to contribute to creating jobs, saving jobs in identified distressed companies and sectors, and placing in excess of 2 million job seekers in jobs from 2011-12 through to 2013-14. Our interventions as the department will include training and reskilling of workers in order to give them capacity to compete in the open economy. Funding will be provided through the Compensation Fund and the UIF. The UIF set aside R1 billion in the 2009-10 finaancial year, as I have said previously.
I also want to say that the public employment service branch of the department has identified a number of interventions aimed at creating and sustaining jobs. The highlights are as follows. The department aims to refer 450 000 job seekers for placement in jobs and other opportunities in the 2011-12 financial year, and in excess of 2 million job seekers will be referred for placement in opportunities over the 2011-12 period.
There are 151 000 people from designated groups, who will be placed in training and income-generating opportunities over the period 2011-12 to 2015-16. The total targeted group comprises 10 000 young people, 15 000 women and 4 000 persons with disabilities. The sheltered employment factories, which fall under the public employment Service branch, aim to increase orders for goods, leading to the creation of jobs for 3 500 people with disabilities over the period 2011-12 to 2015-16.
About 3 200 learners will be recruited over the period to participate in the sheltered employment factories' centre of excellence, with a view to training them as members placed in both the sheltered employment factories and in the open economy.
In addition to contributing to job creation, the strategic plan of the department outlines a number of ways in which the department intends improving its efficiency and service delivery. I will not mention all of them, but I just want to say that one of them is to eliminate the vacancies in the department. We have already employed the director-general of the department - whom I want to introduce to this House - and that is Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko. Mr Nhleko has undertaken to eliminate the vacancy rate within this financial year. I must also say that in October 2011 we will be hosting the International Labour Organisation conference here in our country. Furthermore, the department has been allocated R1,98 billion for the 2011-12 financial year. This represents an 11% increase on the 2010 baseline.
In closing, let us recall the words of our former President, Nelson Mandela, who called on all of us in his first state of the nation address as President of South Africa "to regard labour as a resource and not a cost. As the economy begins to recover and as we strive to make 2011 the year of job creation, we would be well advised to bear in mind that in creating the many new jobs that government is committed to, we cannot treat labour only as a cost factor. We need to always remember that labour is a very special sector of our society. Workers, like all of us, are entitled to rights, to dignity in the workplace and to conditions of decent work.
Chairperson, allow me to congratulate all the political parties and their supporters that participated in the recent local government elections on the wonderful manner in which they conducted themselves during the election campaign period and on the election day.
I take this opportunity to thank members of the Select Committee on Labour for their valuable contribution as well as the sterling leadership provided by the committee chairperson, hon Priscilla Themba. I also thank Mr Sam Morotoba for the good leadership he has provided to the department, and the senior departmental managers for their continued support.
Hon members of this House, our efforts as the Department of Labour are a contribution towards honour and dignity for our people. Thus I put forward before you the budget of the Department of Labour, which I highly commend. I thank you. [Applause.]