Your EE plan now has a deadline of 2030. Is it built on the right targets?
Updated: Oct 4
On 15 April 2025, the Minister of Employment and Labour published two documents that changed Employment Equity for good: the sectoral numerical targets for 18 economic sectors and the Employment Equity Regulations, 2025. Both took effect immediately. Many employers still treat EE as a once a year report. It is now a five year plan with targets that someone will check.
Who has to comply?
A designated employer is any employer with 50 or more employees, and every organ of state. The old turnover test for smaller employers no longer applies. If you have 50 people on payroll, you are in.
What changed?
Three things matter most.
One planning cycle for everyone. Every designated employer needs an EE plan for the period 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2030. If your current plan runs on other dates, it must be realigned.
Targets you did not set yourself. Your plan must use your current workforce profile, the targets for your sector and the Economically Active Population. You can no longer simply choose comfortable numbers.
A compliance certificate. Since 1 September 2025, the Department of Employment and Labour issues EE compliance certificates, valid for 12 months. Without one, you cannot be awarded state contracts.
What if you do not reach the targets?
Not reaching a target is not automatically a failure. The regulations list specific reasonable grounds you can rely on, such as too few vacancies or too few suitably qualified candidates. You must state which ground applies, and you need the records to prove it. That is where most employers fall short: the reason may be valid, but the evidence was never kept.
What should you do now?
Confirm which sector your business falls under. Your SIC code decides which targets apply.
Compare your current profile against the sector targets for each occupational level. Know the gap before you plan.
Set yearly milestones that get you to the 2030 targets. A target with no yearly steps is a target you will miss.
Keep your evidence: recruitment records, shortlists, promotion decisions and training records.
Submit your EE report on time. The online reporting window opened on 1 September 2026 and closes on 15 January 2027.
Plan early, not in December
EE reports are often rushed in the last weeks before the deadline. With sectoral targets and compliance certificates in play, a rushed report is a risk to your state business. Start with an honest look at your numbers, build a plan you can defend, and keep the paperwork as you go.
Inclusion Works Consulting helps designated employers build EE plans that meet the sectoral targets and stand up to scrutiny. Email info@inclusionworks.co.za to start with a gap analysis.
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