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The South African
3 days ago
- Business
- The South African
Cabinet approves bill to limit employment of foreign nationals
The South African Cabinet has approved the tabling of a new bill in Parliament aimed at limiting the employment of foreign nationals, as part of broader efforts to address rising unemployment among citizens. According to Eyewitness News , Cabinet also approved the National Labour Migration Policy White Paper. The policy sets quotas on how many documented foreign nationals businesses can hire in sectors like agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and construction. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced the decisions during a briefing at Parliament on Thursday 29 May. She said the policy aims to balance employment across sectors and address public concerns about job opportunities. Ntshavheni said the migration policy works alongside other government measures. These include limiting business visas for foreign nationals in certain sectors and changing the National Small Enterprise Act. These changes aim to prevent foreign nationals from establishing small, medium and micro enterprises in some areas of the economy. Cabinet also approved the tabling of the Employment Services Amendment Bill. The bill aims to create a legal framework to regulate the employment of foreign nationals. The bill would give the employment minister the power to set quotas. It would also tighten controls on labour brokers to stop the exploitation of undocumented workers. In a further directive, Cabinet instructed the Minister of Employment and Labour to expedite consultations to define what constitutes scarce and critical skills in the country. This process will help build local skills and create more job opportunities for South Africans in key areas. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Cabinet approves bill aimed at regulating movement and employment of foreign nationals
CAPE TOWN - Cabinet has approved the introduction of a new bill that seeks to limit the number of foreign nationals that can be employed in the country. At the same time, it also approved the National Labour Migration Policy White Paper, which introduces quotas on the total number of documented foreign nationals that can be employed in major sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, tourism, and construction. Providing an update on Cabinet decisions at parliament on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni said the policy is aimed at achieving balance across the sectors, including addressing South Africans' expectations for job prospects amid rising unemployment. "The policy complements other interventions such as the enforcement of a list of sectors where foreign nationals cannot be allocated business visas and amendments to the National Small Enterprise Act, 1996, which limits foreign nationals establishing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, and trading in some sectors of the economy." ALSO READ:- DA argues that employment targets set by labour minister could lead to employers firing employees who don't meet quotas Cabinet has also given the thumbs up to the tabling of the Employment Services Amendment Bill in Parliament, which provides a policy framework and the legal basis to regulate the employment of foreign nationals in business. It will also tighten the screws on labour brokers to prevent exploitation through the employment of undocumented foreign nationals. According to the bill, the employment minister will have the power to set quotas for the employment of foreign nationals. "Cabinet directed the Minister of Employment and Labour to speedily finalise the mapping, through consultations, of what constitutes scarce and critical skills in order to develop a domestic skills base to improve absorption of more unemployed South Africans."
