SMD

Annual Report 2023/2024

1. INTRODUCTION The information contained in this part of the annual report has been prescribed by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration for all departments in the public service.

2.2. Human resource priorities for the year under review and the impact of these Priorities for the year under review was firstly the implementation of organisational structure which required creation of 88 new positions and filling vacancies as a matter of urgency. Secondly, a representative and diverse workforce in respect of women, youth and persons with disabilities was among the top human resources priorities. Thirdly, the focus was on enhancing internal skills and capabilities through focused training interventions in areas such as business communication, leadership development, knowledge management, policy development, and change management, as well as allocate bursaries aligned with fields like public administration, risk management, finance, and development studies. The Department successfully implemented training intervention and bursaries to the value of R2.3 million. Lastly, improved employee wellness and conduct through continuous code of conduct training, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) related activities as well as support with psycho-social services. Employees we successfully supported through regular code of conduct training and provision of psycho-social services through professional service provider (Lyra Health). In addition, the Department’s Disaster Management or Contingency Plan was approved by Tshwane Emergency Services and the Acting Director-General. Subsequently, training of OHS or Wellness Committee role players (First Aiders, Fire Marshalls/Firefighters, SHE Representatives and Wellness Buddies) were also conducted. Regrettably, filling of new and vacant positions escalated work demands due to insufficient capacity within the Department, with Human Resources spearheading efforts to expedite the filling of these positions. In respect of creating a diverse workforce, the Department did well however, as indicated above, the representation of youth remains a challenge. The Department’s performance was hindered by cost containment measures, which considerably prolonged the recruitment process.

2.

OVERVIEW OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Provide commentary on the following:

2.1. The status of human resources in the Department In order to maintain a stable and agile work environment, the Department implemented the approved structure, creating 88 new posts and filling existing vacancies. A Recruitment Plan was created with the goal of significantly lowering the vacancy rate, allowing the Department to employ 110 new staff to reduce workload demands, resulting in an 11.8% decrease in vacancy rate for 2023/24 financial year. In striving for a representative and diverse workforce, the Department has maintained the representation of women in senior management positions above 50%, reaching 53.7% representation by the end of the reporting period. The first year of implementing the recruitment strategy for persons with disabilities, the representation of PWDs within DSBD has increased to 3.7%. Twelve (12) strategic and top management posts were filled, including two Deputy Director-General positions (Sector Policy and Research; and Enterprise Development Innovation and Entrepreneurship) and the Chief Director: Funding Support. Other SMS positions were in support roles such as Finance, Corporate Management Services, and Executive Authority Support (Ministry) were also filled. However, increasing the representation of youth remains a challenge, with youth employment only reaching 22.8%. The compensation budget of R225.1 million for 2023/24, projected to increase to R262.8 million by 2025/26 was impacted by the unexpected 7.5% cost of living adjustment in April 2023 and 4.7% adjustment for 2024, which might limit the Department to filling only 315 out of 357 posts to stay within the medium-term compensation budget, without additional funding.

Part D • HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • Department of Small Business Development

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