FAQs

All employers, workers and job applicants (except for members of the National Defence Force, National Intelligence Agency and South African Secret Service). Affirmative action provisions apply to employers who employ 50 or more staff members or whose annual turnover is more than that set down in Schedule 4 of the Act (the figures vary according to the type of industry).

Employers must draw up an employment equity plan, setting out the steps they intend taking to achieve employment equity, over the next one to five years. To do this, they need to analyse their workforce profile as well as their employment practices and policies.
In drawing up the plan they must consult with unions and employees to get agreement around it. Employers need to report their equity plans regularly to the Department of Labour, which monitors implementation.

• Employment equity plans must show:
  objectives for every year;
• affirmative action measures that will be implemented;
• where black people, women and people with disabilities are not represented:
• numerical goals to reach this;
• timetables; and
• strategies.
• timetables for annual objectives;
• the duration of the plan (not shorter than a year or longer than five years);
• procedures that will be used to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the plan;
• ways to solve disputes about the plan; and
• people responsible for implementing the plan.

The Department of Labour recommends this is achieved in three phases:

• preparation (assign responsibility, set up consultative forum, analysis of employment practices and environment, draw up workforce profile);
• implementation (proactive steps to improve the company’s diversity profile); and
• monitoring

The Department of Labour is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of affirmative action. To do this, it needs to receive regular reports from companies on their progress. Regular reporting to the department is a legal requirement.
Reports comprise two forms: the Employment Equity Report Form (EEA2) and the Income Differential Statement (EEA4).

What is a Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR)?

A Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) consist of planned training for the following year whilst an Annual Training Report (ATR) reports the actual training that was completed in the previous year.

Workplace Skills Plans.

Workplace skills plans (WSP) document skills needs in an organization and describe the range of skills development interventions that an organization will use to address these needs.

The purpose of workplace skills planning is to outline how organizations will address their training and skills development requirements. WSPs support employers in the recognition and implementation of various skills development programs such as learner ships and internships to deal with skills gaps within a company.

A WSP outlines the objectives and plans your organization must address which involve the training and development needs within your respective workplace. It assists in identifying and providing the relevant training that will address the current skills gaps within your organization.

The workplace skills plan (WSP) and the annual training report (ATR). These reports are submitted as one document covering the skills process within an organization. Their submission to the relevant SETA (Sector Education Training Authority) attests to that organization fulfilling this commitment.

SDL is due by employers who have been registered. You can register once for all different tax types using the client information system. Top Tip: Where an employer expects that the total salaries will be more than R500 000 over the next 12 months, that employer becomes liable to pay SDL.