Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) phase two: Decent work for all?

‘Employment and job creation is the most urgent priority in South Africa, as set out in the first theme of the Growth and Development Summit of 2003: "More jobs, better jobs, decent work for all" ', says principle investigator, Dr David Hemson a research director at the Centre for Service Delivery at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

It is universally agreed there is a great 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.

The Mid-Term Review found that although the target of creating a million jobs over five years expressed at the launch of the programme may well be attained, and the targeted proportion of women and youth may also be reached, the deficiencies in the programme somewhat undermine the achievements.

The mid-term Review found, 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.

The EPWP falls short in five other important ways:

• 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 could be summarised as follows, says Hemson: ‘Can and must do better.' The considerable shortfalls in person years, length of work opportunities, actual spending of budgets, accredited training and exit strategies tend to undermine the achievements of the EPWP as they fall far short of the targets.

What can be done?

The Mid-Term Review recommends 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. The government recently announced the second phase of the EPWP; the recommendations in the Mid-Term Review point 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, written by Geci Karuri-Sebina of the Centre for Service Delivery and included contributions from local and international partners.

Ina van der Linde
Media Liaison
Human Sciences Research Council
Tel 012 3022024
Cell 0823310614
E-mail: ivdlinde@hsrc.ac.za