The second phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP II) had seen the creation of just under 604 000 work opportunities in the first year of the programme's implementation, Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge said on Monday.

At a media briefing in Cape Town, he noted that this exceeded the 550 000 work opportunities that had been targeted for the 2009/10 financial year.

Further, he highlighted that 482 700 work opportunities had been created out of the 500 000 promised by President Jacob Zuma by December last year.

Doidge said that the EPWP II could again "easily" exceed its targeted 642 000 work opportunities in the current financial year, adding that the Department of Public Works was looking at how to accelerate the programme and at ways of ensuring that quality jobs, with a lasting impact, were created.

To broaden the reach of the programme, government would again look at getting all 283 municipalities in the country involved in participating in EPWP projects. Provincial governments were also expected to participate.

He added that it was time to "up the bar" when it came to labour-intensive infrastructure and service delivery.

Doidge admitted that not all sectors had, in 2009, performed as well as they could have in terms of the programme, but said that some of the issues within these sectors had been resolved, and that this year would be a better year.

In addition to the infrastructure, environment and culture, and the social sectors, a new non-State sector would start operating within the EPWP II this year.

The Minister highlighted that this sector was in a good position to step up the programme and its impact.

The non-State sector would focus on job creation projects run by nonprofit organisations. The sector had already undergone a pilot phase in the 2009/10 financial year.