At Decusatio Human Capital Solutions, we believe that staying ahead in today’s dynamic workplace requires more than just experience — it demands insight. That’s why we continuously analyse a range of data points, from recruitment patterns and skills development metrics to regulatory shifts and employee engagement trends. This data-driven approach ensures we remain in tune with the evolving needs of our clients and the broader human capital landscape, enabling us to deliver forward-thinking, compliant and impactful solutions.
Looking at our Google and website data to identify Human Capital trends
We utilise our Google and website data to track trends and popular search queries to get a grip on what is happening in the market at any point in time. Our analysis of search volumes suggests the following keywords remain popular in our universe:
- Temporary Employment Services
- TES Registration
- Remote Work
- Youth Employment Service (YES)
If we look at the focus around the Temporary Employment Services (TES) / TE registration, historically, our website assets attract a significant amount of traffic to our article entitled: “Understanding Temporary Employment Services (TES) in South Africa and the Registration Process”
Discussions around remote work and remote work policies remains popular and many organisations continue to review their Remote Work / Work-From-Home policies to ensure that their documentation is up-to-date.
In respect of the search volumes related to the phrase “Youth Employment Service” – we are one of the most experienced teams when it comes to implementing YES projects and have extensive knowledge of building and delivering high-impact projects.
Recruitment trends: PNet May Jobs Report
PNet has recently released its “May Jobs Report” which looks at some of the hiring trends in South Africa. With recruitment being part of our value proposition, we are always interested in seeing where hiring activity is focused.
Here are some of the high-level trends identified in the PNet report:
With June being Youth month, the report also unpacks some valuable insights around where SA youth are finding work opportunities.
Check out the full report for these valuable insights, here.
Death and taxes make for interesting corporate wellness discussions!
We recently hosted a Corporate Wellness activation focused on financial education and the two standout topics were Taxes … and getting your Will in order.
The Wellness activation focused on financial education split over 4 sessions.
The focus on taxes was naturally a popular one with South Africa about to enter tax season.
The session looking at getting your Will in order was part of a broader “jargon-busting” session run in conjunction with a financial planner. It is estimated that 70 – 80% of South Africans die without a valid Will in place. This creates enormous backlogs when it comes to settling estates and our corporate wellness session, definitely got the delegates thinking.
If you would like to look at a corporate wellness session, please do not hesitate to reach out to us to see how we can support you and your team.
Annual increases are in focus
The subject of annual increases and remuneration are in focus in June 2025. With core inflation trading at under 3% for a sustained period, many employers are having robust discussions around inflation-linked increases – with many staff arguing that the cost of living remains higher than the inflation benchmark.
This is also manifesting in at least 2 major engagements with organised labour:
- Busi Mavuso, the CEO of Business Leadership SA has challenged the agreement of 3 years of 6% increases at Transnet – a move she has described as “failure of leadership on both sides
- The automotive sector is facing a deadlock over engagements with the National Union of Metalworkers whose base scenario is a 10% flat increase applied over multiple years
SETAs under the microscope
In June, the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) were forced into the spotlight and this is a topic which is being closely watched by both employers as well as those offering human resources (HR) consulting.
In theory, the primary function of the SETAs is to facilitate skills development through learnerships and skills development programmes. In short, they are responsible to develop the skills that the South African economy requires.
In reality, these have been plagued with concerns around corruption and maladministration and it is quite clear that South Africa is failing to develop a workforce for the future.
Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane was grilled by Parliament after concerns were raised about the selection process for SETA leadership roles as it appeared to benefit politically connected individuals.
Initially the Minister refused to disclose the selection panel but was ultimately pressured in to releasing the names. This became a further source of tension as she named a leading advocate as the Chair of the selection committee … the only issue was that the Advocate came out indicating that he had zero involvement in the process despite being named in this public forum.
The Minister subsequently withdrew his name and apologised for any embarrassment caused by him being incorrectly named.
Skills Development practitioners and those involved in Human Capital / Human Resources consulting will have taken some heart from the increased focus on transparency and accountability and hope that this suggests better levels of governance going forward. SETAs should in theory play a critical role in the advancement of the South African economy, but their role has been materially weakened and there is a low-level of trust when businesses are expected to deploy their skills-development spend.
Looking for a recruitment or Human Capital partner in the Gauteng / Rosebank region?
In a rapidly-evolving workplace, your Human Capital is a differentiator between you and your competitors. If you are looking to bolster your team through smart recruitment or regulatory support, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this further.