Labour department report finds 231,850 foreign nationals at inspected workplaces.
Image: Leon Lestrade/ Independent Newspapers
On November 12, South Africa's Department of Employment and Labour released a report titled "Foreign nationals rule the roost in workplace employment in entry level jobs," revealing that 231,850 foreign nationals were employed across inspected workplaces by the end of the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
According to the report, out of 168,776 inspected workplaces through the second quarter of 2026/27, about 21,371 employed 231,850 foreign nationals, concentrated heavily in Gauteng, North West, Western Cape with agriculture and retail being key sectors.
Foreign employment is heavily concentrated in specific industries, with agriculture employing the highest number of foreign nationals at 46,533, followed by the wholesale and retail sector with 41,359 workers, while manufacturing, construction and hospitality also account for significant numbers.
Inspector-General Aggy Moiloa characterised the trend as unfortunate regarding local employment opportunities. She said the department plans to bolster inspection-public employment partnerships and implement tighter quotas under the national labour migration policy.
The department's Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) report counts all foreign nationals found at inspected sites. It does not break down how many are documented versus undocumented.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions COSATU, Unemployed Graduates Movement and March March Movement reacted to the department's report on foreign nationals found in the country's workplaces.
The movements have urged immediate enforcement of labour regulations following a department's report highlighting large numbers of foreign nationals in inspected entry level jobs.
Sandile Dube of March and March Movement, said they view the data as validation of its campaigns against local job displacement, demanding stricter border controls and audits.
"As March and March we are still vindicated by the statistics because most people were hunting our case, but these are only few employers that have been inspected. This is just a fraction of the department's report, there is a majority of undocumented foreigners working in our workplaces, especially in Gauteng," he said.
Dube claimed that there is a factory based in Gauteng hiring undocumented foreign nationals and they are working from 6am to 6pm without taking tea and lunch breaks.
"These undocumented foreign nationals are not coming out of this factory. They are bathing and sleeping inside this factory. So our government needs to push hard on this issue and ensure that security is tight at our national borders," he said.
Dube called on the department's inspectors to do a thorough job finding foreign nationals in workplaces across the country.
"We will do more marches to put pressure on our government because this is just a fraction. We want all undocumented foreigners to depart our workplaces," he said.
Zanele Sabela, COSATU national spokesperson, said it was clear that the Department of Employment and Labour's intensified workplace inspections are bearing fruit given the numbers in the report.
"However, COSATU is deeply concerned that the jobs occupied by foreign nationals are entry level, considering the dangerously high levels of youth unemployment in the country. Stats SA put the expanded rate of unemployment for youth between the ages of 15 to 24 at 72.7% when it released the figures early this week," she said.
Sabela said these entry level jobs should be occupied by young people who are struggling to access the labour market.
"It is important that the government ramps up its recruitment drive for the 10 000 extra labour inspectors to ensure compliance with the labour and immigration laws of the country. The Labour Inspectorate must also ensure that employers who are non-compliant are harshly penalised and repeat offenders are imprisoned where necessary."
Sabela said it is critical that parliament expedite the Employment Services Amendment Bill, which will empower the labour minister to set quotas on the number of migrant workers that can be employed in a workplace, sector or region.
Yeshelen Govender of Siyafana Sonke Action Campaign that helps refugees, said they have questions about the manner in which the data has been collected.
"Since the report seems to have been taken down and is not publicly available, it is not possible to scrutinise the methodology. Given the confusing claims in the statement, this begs certain questions," he said.
Govender said the report is specifically issued by the department's Inspection and Enforcement Services, which often responds to tip-offs and operates in high-risk sectors such as commercial farming where there are a higher number of foreign nationals working.
"Using targeted raid samples to claim that ‘foreign nationals rule the roost’ seems to be a disingenuous approach that is designed to skew the figures to support the narrative that foreign nationals are responsible for the high unemployment among local South Africans.
“We suggest that analysts, including those in the Department of Labour, reference the Commission for Employment Equity’s reports which show that foreign nationals are represented in the following percentages among the existing job sectors: 3.2% of the unskilled labour force,1.7% of the semi-skilled labour force, 3.3% in senior management and 3.1% in top management," he said.
He said these are not figures that will make a significant dent in the unemployment rate of 33,7% of the country.
"According to the CEE reports, South Africans hold 96% of the entry-level jobs in the formal sector. The real issue is why employment remains skewed along racial lines, which is a legacy of our apartheid history that has not been addressed," said Govender.
He disclosed that according to a Mail and Guardian article from April 2026, white workers earn on average 380% more than black workers, and are far less likely to be unemployed.
"Only 8% of whites are unemployed compared to 37% of their black counterparts. So these are the issues to consider," said Govender.
The Unemployed Graduates Movement welcomed the report of the labour department on foreign nationals in workplaces in the country.
"South Africans cannot be foreigners in their own country. South Africa is sitting with millions of unemployed people. Graduates are carrying qualifications they cannot convert into livelihoods. Young people are standing in queues, submitting CVS, attending interviews and waiting for the opportunities that never come," said the statement.
The moment demands urgent national investigation into recruitment practices in sectors where South African jobseekers are being overlooked.
"We also demand strict enforcement of immigration and labour legislation. We want accountability for employers who unlawfully employ people or disregard applicable employment requirements, and we also demand transparent recruitment processes that give qualified South Africans fair opportunities," said the statement.