Understanding South Africa’s Human Capital and Recruitment Trends
What are the recruitment trends that South African business decision-makers need to be aware of right now? How is the world of labour law evolving, and what does this mean for HR strategy in 2025?
As a strategic advisory business, our mission is to stay ahead of these human capital trends. We do this so our clients can focus on what they do best, running and growing their businesses.
Each month, the Decusatio Human Capital team analyses data from multiple sources, including Google Trends, our website analytics, and industry publications identifying emerging developments shaping South Africa’s HR and recruitment landscape.
Here are the seven key Human Capital Trends we’re focusing on for October 2025.
Temporary Employment Services and Workforce Planning Stay Front of Mind
As a data-driven recruitment consultancy, we spend significant time reviewing insights from our digital platforms and Google Search Console.
For October, trending search phrases include:
- Temporary Employment Services
- Temporary Employment Agency
- TES Registration
- TES Certificate
- Benefits of Workforce Planning
This sustained interest aligns with the ongoing rollout of the new Employment Equity legislation and its sector-specific targets. Many organisations are proactively adjusting their workforce structures. Often turning to consultants and TES (Temporary Employment Service) providers to maintain flexibility and compliance.
As these regulatory changes settle, strategic workforce planning remains a priority for businesses looking to balance compliance, efficiency, and productivity.
Recruitment Trend: Eskom and Standard Bank Lead as Employers of Choice
An internal analysis of Google search volumes around the keyword “recruitment” revealed fascinating insights into where South Africans are most actively seeking employment:
- Eskom Recruitment: 201,000+ monthly searches
- Standard Bank Recruitment: 40,000 searches
- SAPS Recruitment: 33,000 searches
- Life Healthcare Recruitment / Absa Recruitment / City of Cape Town Recruitment: 27,100 searches
The Eskom figure stands out; likely influenced by regular media coverage of Eskom salaries, which reportedly average over R1 million annually. Despite public scrutiny, Eskom continues to attract strong candidate interest, signalling that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) remain desirable employers for many.
For recruiters, understanding where jobseekers’ attention is concentrated can help shape talent attraction strategies and benchmark brand perception against leading employers.
Youth Employment Service (YES) Surpasses 200,000 Jobs
The Youth Employment Service (YES), a private sector-led B-BBEE initiative backed by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), has emerged as one of South Africa’s most successful employment programmes in recent memory.
Nearly 2,000 businesses have participated, leveraging YES to enhance their B-BBEE ratings and deliver measurable social impact. Recently, the YES NPC announced a milestone achievement: over 200,000 youth jobs created since inception.
At Decusatio Human Capital Solutions, we have extensive experience helping companies develop integrated YES programmes that deliver both compliance and impact. If you’re looking to align your B-BBEE strategy with real youth empowerment outcomes, we’d be happy to connect.
SEIFSA Supports BUSA in Employment Equity Legal Challenge
According to Engineering News, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA), a member of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), has confirmed its support for BUSA’s legal challenge against the newly promulgated Employment Equity (EE) sector targets.
This development highlights growing industry concern about how these sector targets will be applied and enforced. For employers, staying informed about the legal interpretations of the Employment Equity Act is critical; particularly as it influences workforce planning, reporting, and transformation strategies.
Password Sharing at Work: A Labour Court Reminder
A recent Labour Court ruling underscores the importance of enforcing proper IT governance policies, specifically regarding password sharing.
In the case of AN Malatsi vs Municipality (2012–2016), a forensic investigation found multiple failed login attempts to a municipal bank account traced to Malatsi’s computer. While password sharing was reportedly common practice, the arbitrator ruled the dismissal substantively unfair but imposed a four-month unpaid suspension.
Later, a second disciplinary hearing for the same misconduct led to dismissal, raising the legal issue of double jeopardy. The Labour Court ultimately upheld the second dismissal, reinforcing the need for strict adherence to IT compliance and accountability.
This case serves as a warning: even seemingly minor security lapses can have serious disciplinary and reputational implications.
OUTA Challenges Law Protecting SOE Executives from Accountability
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has launched a significant legal challenge that could reshape corporate governance across State-Owned Entities (SOEs).
Currently, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) offers certain protections that can prevent executives managing public funds, such as those in SETAs, from being declared delinquent directors.
If OUTA’s challenge succeeds, it could mark a turning point for accountability, particularly for executives at Eskom, Transnet, SAA, and similar entities.
This would align with broader governance reforms aimed at improving transparency and restoring trust in South Africa’s public institutions.
FSCA Flags 15,000+ Delinquent Employers, A Growing Concern
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has reported a 50% surge in the number of employers failing to make retirement fund contributions on time.
According to Moonstone, “Retirement funds reported 15,521 delinquent employers to the FSCA at the end of March 2025, compared with 7,770 at the end of December 2023.”
The total arrears contributions now exceed R7.29 billion.
Although the FSCA currently lacks direct jurisdiction over employers, this is expected to change once the Conduct of Financial Institutions Bill (COFI) comes into effect. For HR and payroll departments, proactive compliance with retirement fund obligations will be critical to avoid future penalties or reputational risks.
Looking for a Recruitment Agency in Johannesburg?
Is your business searching for a recruitment and outsourced HR partner designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?
At Decusatio Human Capital Solutions, we combine data analytics, technology, and industry expertise to help businesses hire effectively. Our platform connects you with a database of over 150,000 qualified candidates, backed by specialist recruiters across marketing, finance, and technology sectors.
Contact us today to discuss how we can support your recruitment and compliance strategies.