When the Minister of Labour published the sector specific targets on 15 April 2025, companies were given until 31 August 2025 to complete their new Employment Equity Plans which must run from 01 September 2025 – 31 August 2030. At the end of the five-year Employment Equity Plan, companies must, amongst other elements, reach the Numerical Goals set out by the Minister of Labour or risk having fines imposed on them. Numerical Goals focuses on the desired makeup of your company’s workforce profile within the next five years. However, the desired workforce profile must be in line with the Numerical Goals set out by the minister of Labour. 

The difficulty with Numerical Goals is obtaining and retaining the right candidate from Designated Groups, an individual who possesses the right skillset and knowledge to add value to both the position and subsequently, the company.

There are a couple of ways in which this can be achieved, with the most common methods being: 

1. Recruiting externally;

2. Promoting internally. 

Both these methods can influence a company’s prospects of identifying the right candidate. However, this is influenced by the area in which the company resides and the skillset available within the company. When considering external recruitment, it is always important to consider the Company’s Numerical Goals & Targets. Subsequently, selecting the correct candidates must be done in an objective manner. The company must be able to prove that the candidate they have chosen truly was the best candidate, irrespective of the individuals race and gender. In addition, the Company must prove that no form of unfair discrimination occurred. Finally, when employing externally, the company faces competitors that is also striving to reach their Numerical Goals, subsequently forcing the company into a bidding war for the employee.  

Promoting internally faces similar problems. As mentioned above, identifying the correct individual must be done in an objective manner. However, when considering promoting internally, the company has more tools at their disposal to identify the right individual, or should the right individual be available, preparing employees to fill the role. Methods such as Succession Planning, Training & Development Initiatives and Performance and Evaluation techniques, to name but a few, could increase a company’s prospects of reaching their Numerical Goals & Targets. Simultaneously, improving your workforce creates the opportunity for employees to enhance their careers, both internally, and externally, which could subsequently lead to employees leaving the company for better opportunities. Thus, it is important that proper retention strategies be implemented within the Company to ensure your workforce remains intact. 

How Danshaw can help: 

Although we do not specialise in recruiting from the external market, our consultants do specialise in developing and implementing various strategies that can empower your workforce whilst simultaneously ensuring your prospects of retaining these employees are improved. At Danshaw, we strive to assist Company’s to reach their Numerical Goals whilst ensuring the staff members now residing in senior positions are equipped with the necessary skills to improve the Company’s overall performance. 

– Written by Shaun Raubenheimer