Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana on Monday urged other Sadc nations to consider adopting South Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to create jobs and limit the impact of the global economic crisis on the region.

The programme has created nearly one million temporary jobs in South Africa and proven one of the government's most successful tools in fighting poverty, Mdladlana told his counterparts in the 15-nation bloc at the start of a five-day Southern African Development Community (Sadc) labour meeting in Cape Town.

Just under half of those jobs went to women and 37 percent went to young people, he said.

"As we all know Sadc has a chronic challenge of high unemployment among our youth. One of the crucial sectors in the EPWP is the social sector which has the potential to employ large numbers of people in areas of home-based care and early childhood development."

Mdladlana said the global crisis has already slowed growth and caused unprecedented job losses in southern African nations.

The South African government has vowed to press on with an ambitious public works programme despite the crisis and hopes to spend some R787-billion on infrastructure projects in the next three years.

Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa has, however, conceded that the global economic outlook could make reaching that target an uphill battle.

Sapa