EPWP Salary (Expanded Public Work Programme) South Africa
I have always believed that having a small job is better than staying unemployed at home. The government of South Africa initiated an Expanded Public Work Programme to create work opportunities for unemployed people during difficult times. Jobless people are hired and minimum wages are set for them.
If you’re unemployed and looking for work, read the information given in my article below. You can get the details related to EPWP salary before applying for work. I am sure you’ll find some work opportunities for yourself during these tough times.
What is EPWP?
The Expanded Public Work Programme or EPWP is an initiative of the South African government to provide relief during times of inflation and poverty. It was started nearly two decades ago and has its origins in the Growth and Development Summit or GDS. The agenda was to provide more jobs to the unemployed people.
The EPWP’s purpose is to provide better jobs and transfer income to poor households who’ve been affected by inflation or poverty. Work opportunities in four sectors i.e. Infrastructure, Environment and Culture, Non-State and Social sectors were created. The workers were getting hourly wages according to their working hours.
EPWP Salary In South Africa
The salary of workers working through the Expanded Public Work Programme is R 13.97 per hour. This minimum wage of R 13.97 is the same for all the general workers, domestic workers, and farmers working through EPWP. People are hired by the government, contractors, and private organizations under the Ministerial Conditions of Employment.
The minimum wage is fixed but these employment roles are temporary. All the EPWP workers are hired for a few days during the absence of cleaning workers or domestic staff and are paid less than what others are earning in the country. Even if an EPWP worker works for more than 170 hours per month, he won’t be able to cover the basic food cost which is around R 4,900.
The minimum wage of workers in South Africa was increased by 9.6% in March 2023. They are now getting R 25.42 per hour after the minimum wage was fixed by the Labor Department. Previously, the workers were being paid R 23.19 but the amount was increased after the inflation in the country.
Salary In the United States of America
You can observe a great difference in the minimum wage of people working in South Africa and the United States of America. The salary of people working under EPWP is less than people working at the same position in America. On average, the domestic and general workers earn $17 per hour which is way more than what people make in South Africa.
When the $17 is converted to the RAND, it makes approximately R 320 which is a huge amount of money. This is the average salary but the truck drivers or workers of the municipal committee sometimes earn more than $25 per hour. Hence people working in South Africa are working the same hours as workers in the US but getting way less money.
Increase Or Decrease In EPWP Salary Over Years
In February 2020, the minimum wage of EPWP workers was R 11 per hour. The EPWP workers carried the burden without getting a good sum of money. After two years, the wage was increased to R 13.97 which is still not enough.
Professional Responsibilities
The unemployed people are hired for work under the EPWP and are assigned tasks. They have responsibilities that shall be fulfilled. The instructions are given to each worker at the beginning of the task.
They are paid after the work has been completed. People working as domestic workers, farmers, or public workers have different roles that shall be fulfilled accordingly.
Who Pays The EPWP Workers?
The EPWP workers are hired on contracts or a temporary basis for ongoing projects by contractors, government, and other organizations. Work opportunities are created in all four sectors and training is provided as well. The Department of Labor pays the EPWP workers and a total budget of R 2.3 billion is set aside for this program.
The budget was increased from R 1.7 billion to R 2.3 billion in 2018 as EPWP has successfully created 4,000,000 work opportunities for unemployed people. An increase of 11% was made in the budget to provide grants at smaller levels. The target of EPWP is to create 300,000 work opportunities for people in upcoming years.
How much does a general worker make at Ethekwini municipality?
On average, a general worker can make R 3,700 in a month. This figure varies according to the tasks that have been assigned to people.
For instance, a truck driver will have a different salary than an electrical engineer. The information related to salaries is collected from the employees and other people.
What is the average salary for EPWP in South Africa?
The average salary of an EPWP worker in South Africa is around R 13 which is extremely low. Domestic workers or general workers do the same amount of work in the US but are paid more than EPWP workers in South Africa.
What is the basic salary of Labor in South Africa?
The minimum wage was increased to R 25 per hour in March 2023 by the Department of Labor in the country. An increase of 9.6% was made after inflation hit the country. Although this is not enough, at least it is more than what laborers were getting previously.
How much does a domestic worker earn in South Africa?
According to the reports of 2022, a domestic worker can make R 2,900 in a month in South Africa. This amount varies according to the number of working hours in a day. Surprisingly, the figure is sometimes less for male workers.
Which country pays the most for domestic helpers?
Hong Kong pays the most for their domestic helpers. As per the reports, domestic workers can make around $500 in a month.
An informative article on EPWP salary is written so you can have an idea about how much workers make in South Africa. The program was started by the government to help people during the times of inflation.
A minimum wage is set by the Department of Labor for the EPWP workers. I hope the article helped understand how people can make money or bring income to their poor households.
