Sea Harvest and Job Creation for a Sustainable Economy
Sea Harvest is committed to job creation, transformation and sustainable fishing. With the company rooted in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape for over 57 years, the firm’s job creation drive has been instrumental in improving the economic well-being of the communities of the West Coast.
A short overview of the company’s role in job creation initiatives highlights the importance of the fishing industry in South Africa and ties in with the company’s transformation and sustainability business successes.
Largest employer on the West Coast
As many as 3600 jobs directly or indirectly exist due to Sea Harvest. The company is the main contributor to the R470 million annual household income in Saldanha Bay because of its job creation initiatives. As such, employment, whether directly or indirectly related to Sea Harvest, plays a significant role in the economic buying power of communities in the greater Saldanha Bay area. These include the rural communities with people from small towns including Paternoster, Langebaan, Hopefield and Velddrif, in addition to Piketberg, Elands Bay and Lambert’s Bay also benefiting from the income generation capacity and job creation initiatives of the firm.
The company is also the largest single employer in the hake fishing industry of South Africa. With such, Sea Harvest has been a key player in the growth and support of one of the most important industries in the Western Cape.
Commitment to keep the bulk of fishing operations in rural areas
With the firm’s commitment to continuously help SMMEs and small operators benefit from the company’s operations, the firm also focuses on creating jobs and economic growth opportunities in the rural areas of the Saldanha municipality. The company supports as many as 470 local SMMEs in the greater Saldanha region and surrounding areas on the West Coast.
Job creation
The company has ongoing skills development, training and shareholding initiatives. Not only does Sea Harvest provide skills improvement and career-building opportunities for its employees, but it is also actively involved in skills development for the unemployed youth of the West Coast.
The company has initiated a 2nd employee share trust to enable shareholding in the company by the workers. This contributes to the economic welfare of its employees and their families.
In addition, the commitment to job creation extends to vertical integration initiatives for 80% of its catch. Small operators benefit from the development assistance, inclusive of vessels, training, help in catch and processing of fish. These initiatives help to make the smaller businesses viable, putting them in a position to employ more people.
Key takeaways on Sea Harvest and job creation
Part of the sustainability drive across the world entails initiatives to ensure the well-being of people. The company’s initiatives that range from training and skills development to helping smaller operators develop their businesses, and the shareholding initiatives for employees are evident of the company’s commitment to sustainable business operations.
As the largest single employer in the hake fishing industry and the largest employer in Saldanha Bay, Sea Harvest plays an important role in the economic wellbeing of the West Coast communities of South Africa.