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The headline from virtually all public attitude surveys is that the most urgent priority in present South Africa is job creation. This is reflected in government statements; as set out in the first theme of the Growth and Development Summit (GDS) of 2003: ‘More jobs, better jobs, decent work for all'. Will the second phase achieve greater impact than the first? At the GDS Summit the EPWP was referred to as ‘large enough to have a substantial impact' on the problem of mass unemployment. Although it is one of a number of initiatives to increase jobs, the hope of the mass of unemployed rests on such public provision of jobs. Short-term and longer-term objectives are to alleviate poverty through halving unemployment by 2014. Why and how the research was done It is agreed there is an urgent need to meet the crisis of structural unemployment particularly as those who suffered most intensely under apartheid are also those who have benefited least in terms of greater employment in the recent past. In terms of the official definition there were 4.4 million unemployed in September 2006. Of these, black African people constituted 3.9 million, of whom an estimated 3.2 million constituted ‘discouraged' work-seekers - those who have given up looking for a job. This gives an indication of the extent of the enormous demand for employment. For the EPWP to be an effective instrument in contributing significantly to halving unemployment by 2014, its contribution needs to be measured by more than a million jobs annually. In the Mid-Term Review progress is measured against objectives. Indicators of performance in six key objectives were identified: the number of work opportunities created from the launch in 2004 to the "mid-term" 2007, full time equivalent figures, the number of training days achieved, the allocation of budgets to projects, the proportion of the project budgets actually spent and finally the demographic element - the achievement of employment of the targeted proportions of women, youth and disabled. At the launch the target of 1 million jobs over five years was set, or (put more qualitatively) as 650 000 "real" jobs (measured as equivalent to a year's work). The following findings are drawn; firstly that the EPWP is succeeding in three important ways: The target of 1 million work opportunities is in sight or now achieved. The targeted proportion of work opportunities for women and youth (although not for the disabled) has been reached. In getting departments to take EPWP seriously by allocating funding to Public Works.
But the EPWP is failing in several other important ways in: Decent work: minimum standards for length of a job are not being reached; Training: only 19% of training targeted has been met; Actual spending: only 59% of the funds allocated over 3 years have been spent. Wages: overheads and other costs are rising while wages are static. Earnings: earnings per job are declining over time.
This can be summarised as follows: ‘Can and must do better'. Although the key objective of one million job opportunities may well be attained and the targeted proportion of women and youth are being achieved, there are major deficiencies. Unfortunately, these substantially undermine these broad achievements. The considerable shortfalls in person years, length of work opportunities, actual spending of budgets, accredited training and exit strategies tend to undermine these achievements as they fall far short of the targets. 
What can be done? The Review recommended that the EPWP should be substantially redesigned to have an impact on the level of unemployment. The labour intensity of infrastructure should be mainstreamed, direct government employment undertaken by line departments, and enterprise development supported by the Department of Trade and Industry. Research undertaken by the HSRC indicates that at lower levels of growth the EPWP should be contributing more than 1 million jobs annually if the target of halving unemployment by 2014 is to be met. The second phase of the EPWP is now being planned; the recommendations in the Mid-Term Review point to the way forward. Will the second phase announced mark their adoption? Dr David Hemson, a director in the HSRC's Centre for Service Delivery, conducted the analysis and review of the EPWP Mid-Term Review, incorporated in the Expanded Public Works Programme Synthesis Report, which was written by Geci Karuri-Sebina of the Centre for Service Delivery and included contributions from local and international partners.
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