department of employment and labourlatest news & developments
Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth

Nomakhosazana Meth: Employment and Labour

SCORE: E Despite her efforts to make the department a more proactive facilitator of job creation, Meth still faces an unemployment rate above 30% at the end of 2025. The unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in the second quarter but dropped to 31.9% in the third quarter of 2025, which means employment increased by approximately […]

  • Eyaaz
1 min read
Busa has taken the department of labour to court over employment equity targets.

Business Unity SA takes labour department to court over employment equity targets

The organisation has criticised the way the Act was devised and says it risks damaging the economy

  • Aarti Bhana
3 min read
Employers must prepare and implement their Employment Equity Plans and set numerical goals aligned with five-year sectoral targets by 31 August 2025.

Employers get more responsibilities amid equity amendments

Employers need to make sure they are informed about the new regulations, which fall under the Employment Equity Act, and are compliant

5 min read
Employers and domestic workers can contribute a national domestic workers’ pension fund operated through mobile-based platforms for easy registration and tracking contributions. (File photo)

Union demands pension fund for domestic workers

About 850 000 people are employed as domestic workers in South Africa, contributing to 5.2% of the country’s total employment

  • Umamah Bakharia
4 min read
Draft regulations for hazardous chemical agents issued by the government affect the fundamental rights of farmworkers and other farm dwellers, who are routinely exposed to high levels of toxic pesticides, particularly on wine and fruit farms. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Draft regulations on hazardous chemical agents leave farmworkers at risk

South Africa must exit pesticide treadmill, civil society groups say This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Sheree Bega
1 min read

Young people want to work, not wait

A skilled, educated, economically supported youth is the bedrock of a strong democracy

  • Derek Davey
6 min read
Rescue teams on site as operations continue at 75 Victoria Street, George (George municipality)

Preliminary findings show compliance gap led to George building collapse

The death toll in the George building collapse has reached 33 and 19 people are still missing This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Umamah Bakharia
1 min read
Major JSE–listed clothing retailers have rejected the department of employment and labour concerns that they are “unwittingly” supporting “inhumane and sweatshop conditions” in the clothing and textile sector in KwaZulu-Natal, insisting that they adhere to regulations. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

JSE-listed clothing retailers want labour department to shut down sweatshops

The South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union has said people are working from 10 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week for as little as R120 to R200 a week

  • Eyaaz
6 min read