Frik Boonzaaier | April 23, 2025
BeeChanber welcomed the 2025 Employment Equity (EE) regulations and the release of the Ministry of Employment and Labour on April 14, 2025, and stated that it is a step aimed at addressing historical disparities more effectively by promoting the transformation of the South African workforce.
The 2025 EE regulations introduce five-year numerical targets in 18 economic sectors, including engineering. Finance and insurance activities. Mining and quarrying; Information and communications, manufacturing and construction to ensure fair representation of designated groups. “These targets should be seen as milestones to guide employers to fair expression,” explained Hlik Boontzeier, Beehroom's human capital transformation expert.
He said that there remains some flexibility for designated employers (employees with 50 or more employees) to set their own EE goals, in line with five years of sector goals and economically active population (EAP) statistics. “By finding this balance, employers can adjust their strategies to their own workforce dynamics while contributing to national transformation objectives. BeeChanber sees this as an opportunity for companies to set an example and integrates diversity into their growth strategies.”
“Since January 1, 2025, all SMEs with less than 50 employees, regardless of annual revenue, have been exempt from Chapter 3 of the EE Act and do not need to implement designated employer obligations (such as consultations, EE plans, EE reports, etc.). Chamber supports this exemption and notes that large companies will drive change at scale while startups are able to focus on growth.”
“Compliance will be further incentivized through the recent promulgation of Section 53 of the EE Amendment Act, which requires a certificate of compliance that is strongly linked to sector goals for designated employers who want to participate in state bidding. This measure will only allow companies committed to change to access public contracts.
“The EE regulations in 2025 show significant advances into a more representative economy. We encourage businesses to view these goals as opportunities to drive meaningful change. Therefore, Bee Chamber encourages clients to leverage consulting services to seamlessly navigate these requirements.
