Department of Labour to host Public Employment Services workshop to address youth employment in the SADC region The Department of Labour under the stewardship of its Public Employment Services (PES) branch, is to host on behalf of South African government which chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a workshop on addressing youth employment in the SADC region. The two day workshop of employment services practitioners is set to be held on 13 -14 February 2018 at Ekurhuleni, Birchwood Hotel under the theme: “Addressing Youth Employment in the SADC Region”. Youth unemployment is defined by the United Nations as unemployed young people between the ages of 15-25 years of age who do not have a job but are actively seeking work.  However, youth unemployment within the SADC region includes unemployed persons between the ages of 15-35 years old. An estimated 71 million of youth in the SADC region are said to be unemployed. To reverse this situation from becoming dire, the regions Ministers of employment have been mandated to come up with solutions to the growing problem. The objective of this workshop is to establish a platform or forum for Employment Services Practitioners within the SADC Member States to share experiences and challenges, as well as come up with best practices on how to approach the youth unemployment phenomena in the region. The workshop will start at 09h00 sharp.   Issued by:   Teboho Thejane  Departmental Spokesperson  082 697 0694