Latest news with #EmploymentServicesAmendmentBill
IOL News
02-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Cabinet approves National Labour Migration Policy to regulate foreign employment
Cosatu has welcomed the Cabinet approving the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) White Paper 2025 for implementation. The paper will mark a significant step in regulating the movement and employment of foreign nationals in South Africa. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said that the policy seeks to provide a framework to enforce proper and orderly movement and employment of foreign nationals in the country. 'It aims to achieve a balance across several areas, including addressing South Africans' expectations for job prospects, in light of rising unemployment and the perception that foreign nationals restrict labour market access.' Cabinet said that the NLMP introduces quotas on the total number of documented foreign nationals with work visas that can be employed in major economic sectors such as agriculture, hospitality and tourism, as well as construction, among others. 'The policy complements other interventions such as enforcement of a list of sectors where foreign nationals cannot be allocated business visas and amendments to the National Small Enterprise Act, 1996 (Act 102 of 1996), as amended, to limit foreign nationals establishing small, medium and micro enterprises, and trading in some sectors of the economy.' Cabinet added that the NLMP is the first comprehensive National Labour Migration Policy aimed at managing labour migration both into and out of the country. 'The policy is designed to promote a 'brain gain' by attracting skilled workers to South Africa, while also addressing the 'brain drain' caused by the emigration of skilled professionals. The Employment Services Amendment Bill goes hand-in-hand with the NLMP and has been created to make it legal for the government to regulate the employment of immigrants in South African businesses.' One of the bill's more contentious features is the potential introduction of employment quotas, which would limit the number of immigrants that businesses can hire and require employers to prioritise the hiring of South African citizens, the Cabinet said. Matthew Parks, Parliamentary Coordinator for Cosatu, said that he welcomes Cabinet's approval of the National Labour Migration Policy and the Employment Services Amendment Bill. 'Cosatu extensively engaged on both the Policy and the Bill at Nedlac and looks forward to the Bill's processing and adoption by Parliament and their implementation. The Bill and the Policy provide a long overdue response to the flood of undocumented migrant labour into the economy over the past decade.' Parks said this will enable the Minister for Employment and Labour to set limits on the number of documented migrant workers that can be employed in a workplace and an economic sector. 'These limits are critical for an economy battling dangerously high and rising unemployment levels of 43.1% overall and 72% among youth. We have seen countless unscrupulous employers in certain sectors, in particular agriculture, petrol stations, restaurants, and construction, among others; preferring to employ undocumented migrant labour as their vulnerability opens them to wildly abusive exploitation." Parks said they hope that the Department of Employment and Labour's recruitment drive for an additional 20 000 labour inspectors will provide a decisive boost to efforts to crack down on such violations of workers' hard-won labour rights. It is crucial that the Critical Skills List be continuously assessed by government with business and labour at Nedlac to ensure that it is positioned to attract scarce skills to South Africa, to upskill local workers and to ensure unemployed South Africans with such needed skills are prioritised, he said. 'Whilst migration is ingrained with history and South Africa is no exception, the current levels into South Africa are unsustainable, more so given the high levels of unemployment. The Bill and Policy seek to find the correct balance and to ensure the state is better capacitated to set limits and protect the needs of workers. These are badly needed, and their implementation must be expedited,' Parks said. BUSINESS REPORT Visit:
The South African
30-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
Cabinet approves bill to limit employment of foreign nationals
The South African Cabinet has approved the tabling of a new bill in Parliament aimed at limiting the employment of foreign nationals, as part of broader efforts to address rising unemployment among citizens. According to Eyewitness News , Cabinet also approved the National Labour Migration Policy White Paper. The policy sets quotas on how many documented foreign nationals businesses can hire in sectors like agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and construction. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced the decisions during a briefing at Parliament on Thursday 29 May. She said the policy aims to balance employment across sectors and address public concerns about job opportunities. Ntshavheni said the migration policy works alongside other government measures. These include limiting business visas for foreign nationals in certain sectors and changing the National Small Enterprise Act. These changes aim to prevent foreign nationals from establishing small, medium and micro enterprises in some areas of the economy. Cabinet also approved the tabling of the Employment Services Amendment Bill. The bill aims to create a legal framework to regulate the employment of foreign nationals. The bill would give the employment minister the power to set quotas. It would also tighten controls on labour brokers to stop the exploitation of undocumented workers. In a further directive, Cabinet instructed the Minister of Employment and Labour to expedite consultations to define what constitutes scarce and critical skills in the country. This process will help build local skills and create more job opportunities for South Africans in key areas. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Eyewitness News
30-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Cabinet approves bill aimed at regulating movement and employment of foreign nationals
CAPE TOWN - Cabinet has approved the introduction of a new bill that seeks to limit the number of foreign nationals that can be employed in the country. At the same time, it also approved the National Labour Migration Policy White Paper, which introduces quotas on the total number of documented foreign nationals that can be employed in major sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and construction. Providing an update on Cabinet decisions at parliament on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni said the policy is aimed at achieving balance across the sectors, including addressing South Africans' expectations for job prospects amid rising unemployment. "The policy complements other interventions such as the enforcement of a list of sectors where foreign nationals cannot be allocated business visas and amendments to the National Small Enterprise Act, 1996, which limits foreign nationals establishing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, and trading in some sectors of the economy." ALSO READ:- DA argues that employment targets set by labour minister could lead to employers firing employees who don't meet quotas Cabinet has also given the thumbs up to the tabling of the Employment Services Amendment Bill in Parliament, which provides a policy framework and the legal basis to regulate the employment of foreign nationals in business. It will also tighten the screws on labour brokers to prevent exploitation through the employment of undocumented foreign nationals. According to the bill, the employment minister will have the power to set quotas for the employment of foreign nationals. "Cabinet directed the Minister of Employment and Labour to speedily finalise the mapping, through consultations, of what constitutes scarce and critical skills in order to develop a domestic skills base to improve absorption of more unemployed South Africans."
