What this means
This document is the text of the Employment Services Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the National Assembly. It amends the Employment Services Act, 2014, mainly by inserting new definitions and expanding the Act’s scope to regulate the employment of foreign nationals (including asylum seekers and refugees), private employment agencies not operating for gain, and workers. The Bill inserts a new Chapter 3A that prohibits employing foreign nationals without proper permission, requires employers to verify entitlement, consider local skills, prepare skills transfer plans (with possible exemptions), and allows the Minister to set sectoral quotas for foreign employment via Gazette notices, with consultation and comment requirements. It also provides for regulations on foreign employment and for enforcement rights for employees/workers unlawfully employed under the new Chapter.
