The Minister of the Department of Employment and Labour, Ms Nomakhosazana Meth will tomorrow, Tuesday, 18 February 2025, open the G20’s first Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting taking place from 18 to 21 February, at the Boardwalk Hotel, Casino and Convention Centre, in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
The key focus areas of the 1st EWG meeting under South Africa’s Presidency, are inclusive growth, youth employment, gender equality, income inequality and the impact of digitalisation on the future of work.
Employment and Labour Minister, Ms Nomakhosazana Meth will deliver the keynote address during the G20 EWG, a forum whose mandate is to address labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced and job-rich growth for all.
The first in a series of G20 EWG meetings will convene under the theme: “Living and Working in an Unequal World: Ensuring Decent Work and Decent Lives”. The theme aligns with South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency theme of: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
South Africa’s EWG 2025 meetings will focus on four key priorities:
- Inclusive Growth and Youth Employment – Reduce the rate of youth that is neither in employment, education nor training (NEET) through job-rich growth, skills development, youth entrepreneurship and strengthened labour market institutions.
- Gender Equality in the Workforce – Closing pay gaps, tackling job segregation and boosting women’s participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and leadership.
- Addressing Inequality and Declining Labour Income Share – Promoting fair wage-setting mechanisms to reverse the decline in labour income share and reduce economic inequality.
- Social Security and Digitalisation for an Inclusive Future of Work – Ensuring fair work in the digital economy by addressing Artificial Intelligence (AI), platform work and social protection expansion.
The G20 has some 16 working groups and the EWG is one of them. Also addressing the EWG will be local and international technical experts from G20 member countries and invited guests.
Founded in 1999 in response to several world economic crises, the G20 forum originated in response to the Asian financial crisis in 1988. G20 seeks to coordinate policy aimed at achieving global economic stability and sustainable growth, promote financial regulations that reduce risks and prevent future financial crises, and create a new international financial architecture.
The initiative originally was a forum that brought together the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of advanced and emerging countries, but later broadened its mandate.
Members of the media are reminded to do their accreditation at the Southern Sun Marine on Monday, from 08:30 – 17:30.
Members of the media are invited to the G20 EWG Meeting as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 18 February to Friday 21 February 2025
Time: 08:30
Venue: Boardwalk Hotel, Casino and Convention Centre 44 View Point Rd,
Bartlett, Gqeberha
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Thobeka Magcai, Ministry Spokesperson. Email: Thobeka.Magcai@Labour.gov.za| Mobile: 072 737 2205.
Or
Mr. Teboho Thejane Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za
Issued by:
MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR DATE: