South African Public Sector to stop requesting work experience for entry level jobs

Unemployment in South Africa has remained high for decades, increasing to 27.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018. But the government has been contributing to this by requiring those applying for entry level positions in the public service to have work experience. However, this will change in 2019.

From 1 April 2019, work experience will no longer be a requirement for recruitment for entry level jobs in the public sector, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has announced.

In a statement on Monday, the DPSA said the move is part of government’s efforts to address the country’s high youth unemployment rate. Therefore, the department has begun the process of amending regulations that will take effect at the commencement of the 2019/20 financial year.

Hence, DPSA Minister Ayanda Dlodlo is reviewing the current legislative framework in order to facilitate the implementation of the new initiative, which will enhance government’s human resource development capacity that will see the high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth, alleviated.

“This exercise will be structured in such a way that it does not compromise the professional and technical requirements for various fields. All we want to do is streamline career paths and align skills, which will make the public service fit for purpose,” Dlodlo said.

DPSA spokesperson Mava Scott said the focus of recruitment will now be on minimum academic qualifications obtained from appropriately registered training institutions in terms of the National Qualifications Framework Act and the pre-employment verification, as specified in the Public Service Regulations of 2016.

Dlodlo has instructed the department to issue a circular to the public service mandating Heads of Departments in national and provincial spheres of government to ensure a state of readiness towards a phased implementation by 1 April 2019.

The DPSA will also introduce a paperless administration in the public service, as well as an e-recruitment system that will be rolled out next month.

“As government, we are concerned that we took long to evolve in this process, resulting in young people, who mostly are techno savvy, enduring the burden of incurring unnecessary costs when applying for positions in the public service. The world has moved on and the public service needs to keep up and embrace the digital age in all its processes,” said Dlodlo.

The Minister has instructed the department to introduce a digital Z83 application form as an additional platform for job seekers in the public service. Processes will be put in place to ensure compliance with the Public Service Act by formally introducing the digital Z83 form through notice in the Government Gazette.

The decision to create a digital Z83 form, Scott said, is a direct response to job seekers in South Africa, who have used various platforms, including social media, to inform the Minister about how cumbersome and unaffordable the paper Z83 application process is.

“The Minister has heard the voices of young people too and is committed to use innovative technologies to ensure that being poor does not become a barrier to employment in the public service.”

The Minister emphasized, however, that applications for jobs in the public service will still be accepted through the Z83 forms to accommodate those who do not have access to the internet.

“We understand the challenge of internet access for some of our communities, especially in the rural areas, so we will not close anyone out through this e-recruitment process,” Scott explained.

Originally published at The Nerve Africa.