At Decusatio Human Capital Solutions, we believe that staying ahead of industry trends is key for business owners and Human Capital professionals who want to make informed decisions. Each month, our team reviews the latest shifts in the market, workforce dynamics, and regulatory environment to provide insights that matter. In this post, we unpack the key Human Capital and business trends we’ve identified for August 2025 – highlighting what they mean for your organisation and how you can respond proactively.
What does our Google Search and website data tell us?
Looking at our August data, the following search phrases ranked highly or had the highest volumes of search traffic:
- Human Capital Solutions
- Temporary Employment Services / TES registrations
- Temporary Employment Laws
- HR Outsourcing
- Company Wellness Solutions
From a search engine perspective, the search volumes associated with the phrase “Human Capital Solutions” can be attributed to the high-level domain.
“Temporary Employment Services” / “TES registrations” are a keyword we rank highly on and based on anecdotal evidence from clients, we are seeing many mid-size clients with headcounts around 50 – 100 employees considering utilising temporary employment services as a workaround to pending Employment Equity legislation.
“Company Wellness Solutions” is a phrase we have been tracking for the last few months and we have noted a steady increase in search volumes. Internally, we are attributing this to the businesses looking to do staff wellness activations during the second half of 2025.
Capital Appreciation Chairman warns on Employment Equity challenges in the technology sector
Building on our previous comment around the Employment Equity legislation, the technology sector appears to be one which is going to face significant challenges in the coming years.
Michael Pimstein, the chairman of JSE-listed technology group Capital Appreciation was quoted in a recent article from MyBroadband which extracted some comments from the recently released Integrated Annual Report.
Pimstein noted:
“South Africa’s tech industry is grappling with a critical talent shortage, particularly in specialised roles such as software engineering, cybersecurity, data science and machine learning,” adding “The availability of qualified candidates from designated groups remains limited, necessitating more strategic planning and workforce development.”
CHROs and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in South Africa
Chief Human Resource Officers (CHRO’s) are having to get their heads around how they can best implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their organisations. Not only is it transforming job roles and workforce needs, it is impacting processes such as employee onboarding and development.
The team from CHRO recently ran an insightful article entitled: “Exec assistants and their CHROs weigh in on AI’s uncertain future” – read the article here.
Non-Disclosure and appointments
There was an important ruling which took place in the Labour Court in August 2025 which dealt with the subject of non-disclosures during the appointment process.
In essence, a top-performing candidate was asked to declare criminal convictions, charges or pending cases but failed to disclose that he had been arrested for driving under the influence and that the matter was under investigation.
The candidate argued that there was no formal pending charges at the time of the interview.
The Labour court ruled that pending charges included those which are currently under investigation and the candidate should have disclosed this.
Recruiters and hiring managers need to emphasise in their recruitment policies that pending matters include those that may not yet be part of formal charges.
SETA certifications slump
The Sector Education Training Authorities (SETA’s) continue to come under scrutiny.
The Bureau for Economic Research in South Africa recently released some research indicating that over R165bn had been sent to the SETAs over the past decade.
Researcher Robert Botha recently spoke to Moneyweb to unpack their research.
The team from The Outlier recently shared the below infographic, highlighting the slump in effectiveness of the SETAs:
Looking to up your Human Capital and Recruitment game?
There are signs that the South African economy is beginning to move into a higher gear and having the right people on your team will be key to business success. Have you got the right team in place to help you on your journey?
At Decusatio Human Capital Solutions, we know that businesses in South Africa need more than just employees – they need the right talent to drive growth in marketing, finance, and business development. That’s why our tech-enabled recruitment platform is designed to give you access to skilled professionals while keeping your hiring costs under 8%.
If you’re a business owner looking for affordable recruitment solutions in South Africa, let us help you hire top talent quickly and effectively.
Get in touch today and discover how our platform can support your growth journey.