I might not be precise in terms of the number of jobs that we have set ourselves in the NDP as a target. But all what I can say is that we have not done very well in terms of gradually going closer to that target. There are many factors that contributed to that. Definitely, we can only create jobs if we have an economy that is growing
gradually. An economy that is growing does not necessarily imply that it will create jobs. There should be an intervention to ensure that as it grows, job opportunities are created by those companies because every company that is trading is looking for profit. They will try in many ways to reduce what goes to payment of employees and capitalise on profit. So, it is important for government to ensure that some of the activities of every business that is opened are labour intensive so that it absorbs people. But, I must confess that as a country, because of the fluctuating economy, going up and down, we were almost in a recession and we have lost jobs. However, the pace at which we have lost jobs has been complemented by new jobs that were created.
We are very worried about the advent of new technologies that are being employed in our economy. Businesses are seeking better ways to minimise wastages. For instance, you have heard that Standard Bank is closing some of their outlets. In a space of one square kilometre Standard Bank had four to five outlets. They have just realised that they can do with one outlet and service people. Their tradition and thinking was that, in every trading space that is open, they must put a facility. They are changing that notion because people can do
their transaction without physically going to the outlet. As a result, we are going to lose jobs. So, as government we must find better ways to retrain those people and channel them into other sectors. Thank you very much.
Question 2