Department of Labour’s Public Employment Services branch host public hearings to improve the efficiency of public employment services
The Department of Labour’s Public Employment Services (PES) branch in partnership with the Employment Services board will be conducting week-long public hearings to engage with all stakeholders in the labour market on the recently-released four draft employment services regulations.
The public hearings on regulations are conducted in terms of the Employment Services At no: 4 of 2014.
The Employment Services Act is legislation that provide for public employment services through the establishment of schemes to promote the employment of young work seekers and other vulnerable persons; provide for schemes to assist employees in distressed companies to retain employment; facilitate the employment of foreign nationals in a manner that is consistent with the objects of this Act and the Immigration Act, 2002; provide for the registration and regulation of private employment agencies; provide for the establishment of the Employment Services Board; provide for the establishment of Productivity South Africa; to provide for the establishment of Supported Employment Enterprises; to provide for transitional provisions; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Through the public hearings the Department seeks to improve the efficiency of public employment services by turning it into a more agile, modern and customer-centric service that will provide active employment solutions, decent work and ensure protection of vulnerable unemployed work seekers.
Labour Minister, Mildred Oliphant on 28 December 2018 published the four draft regulations for public comments:
- Regulations on the Registration of work seekers – the regulations outline the process for the recording of the names and other personal details of work seekers on the online register (Employment System of South Africa) and their removal therefrom. All unemployed work seekers will be able to register and their profiles matched with available work and learning opportunities.
- Regulations on the Registration of Private Employment Agencies (PEA’s) and Temporary Employment Services (TES’s) – these provide amongst others a procedure for considering the cancelation and registration of private employment agencies and temporary employment services may apply for registration, a procedure for considering the cancelation of registration of private employment agencies and temporary employment services and a procedure for lodging and considering complaints concerning the operation of private employment agencies and temporary employment services.
- Regulations on the Registration of Public Employment Agencies – these regulations provide for any government department, municipality, State-owned enterprises, public entity or Constitutional institution that provides employment services – procedures on registration of public employment agencies, a procedure for considering the cancelation of registration of public employment agencies, a procedure for lodging and considering complaints concerning the operation of public employment agencies and dispute resolution mechanisms.
- Regulations on the Employment of Foreign Nationals – these regulations will ensure a regulated access of foreign nationals into the labour market and provide for the process and procedure to facilitate the employment of foreign nationals in instances where particular skills are unavailable in the country.
The closing date for public comment on the four regulations is 28 February 2019.
The intention of holding the public hearings is to receive inputs on the four Draft Employment Services Regulations; advocate on the four draft regulations and provide clarity on the regulations.
The public hearings are targeting stakeholders such as Nedlac constituencies, Government departments, municipalities, State-owned enterprises, employers, private employment agencies, temporary employment services and work seekers.
The public hearings will be held as follows:
- Gauteng (Pretoria/Johannesburg) on 25 February 2019
- Western Cape (Cape Town), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban), North West (Rustenburg) on 26 February 2019
- Eastern Cape (East London), Northern Cape (Kimberley), Mpumalanga (Witbank) on 27 February 2019
- Free State (Bloemfontein), Limpopo (Polokwane) on 28 February
The public hearings will be held from 9h00am to 13h00. Media is invited to the hearings.
For more information on PES public hearing contact:
Department of Labour PES Director: Employment Services Board Secretariat & Private Employment Agencies:
Martin Ratshivhanda
Cell: 079 235 2799
Employment Services Board Secretariat:
Mmathule Masilela
Cell: 082 521 6328
