Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2015, publiée 105ème session CIT (2016)

Convention (n° 2) sur le chômage, 1919 - Afrique du Sud (Ratification: 1924)

Article 2(2) of the Convention. Coordination of the activities of public and private employment services. The Committee notes that the Government indicates in its report that the Department of Labour has developed an electronic system known as Employment Service South Africa (ESSA) that registers unemployed and underemployed jobseekers, job vacancies, as well as conducts job matching. The second phase of ESSA’s development will include the linkage of registered jobseekers with employment counselling and a national career information portal, as well as the registration and certification of private employment agencies and temporary employment services. With regard to the public employment offices, the Government indicates that in 2013–14, the number of vacancies notified was 109,564 and the number of jobseekers placed in employment was 15,570. Moreover, the Committee notes that section 15(1) of the Employment Services Act No. 4 of 2014, which provides for the regulation of public employment services and private employment agencies, specifies that no person may charge a fee to any jobseeker for providing employment services. The Minister may, after consulting the Employment Services Board, by way of notice in the Gazette, permit private employment agencies to charge a specified fee to specified categories of employees or for the provision of specialized services (section 15(2) of the Act). With regard to private employment agencies, the Committee further notes that draft regulations on private employment agencies and temporary employment services are being developed. Furthermore, the Government indicates that it has not yet initiated consultations with the social partners concerning the ratification of the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181). The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any eventual consultations in this regard. Please also continue to provide information on the measures taken to coordinate the activities of public and private employment services with a view to combating unemployment.