No person may charge a fee to any work seeker for providing employment services to that work seeker – this is according to the Employment Services (ES) Act.

The Employment Services Act further states that a private employment agency must not deduct any amount from the remuneration of an employee or require or permit an employee to pay any amount in respect of the placing of that employee with an employer.

South Africa is in the grip of an unprecedented unemployment sitting at 31,9 percent and this has presented a fertile ground for scammers to dupe the public with promises of job offers in return for a fee.

The Department of Employment and Labour has noted with concern of a number of scams that keep on popping up periodically promising the unemployed jobs.

The latest of such good-for-nothing scams is one that uses the Department's name for promises of so-called Admin Worker jobs. The scamsters are requesting unsuspecting members of the public to pay a refundable fee of R250 at PEP stores for background checks.

Work seekers are advised not to deposit whatsoever any fees and share their contact and personal information - thus compromising their security.  

The Department of Employment and Labour through the Public Employment Services (PES) branch as a custodian of Employment Services Act must provide the following public employment services free of charge to members of the public in a manner that is open and accessible:

(a) matching work seekers with available work opportunities;

(b) registering work seekers;

(c) registering job vacancies and other work opportunities;

(d) facilitating the placing of work seekers with employers or in other work opportunities;

(e) advising work seekers on access to education and training;

(f) advising workers on access to social security benefits;

(g) providing specialised services to assist vulnerable work seekers;

(h) facilitating the exchange of information among labour market participants, including employers, workers and work seekers, private employment agencies, Sector Education and Training Authorities and training providers;

(i) facilitating the employment of foreign nationals in a manner that is consistent with the object of this Act and the Immigration Act; and

(j) generally, performing any other function in terms of employment law or prescribed in terms of this Act.

As soon as you're asked to pay anything towards recruitment and related employment services know that this is likely to be a scam.

 If someone or an organisation requests you to pay fees, report them at Department of Employment and Labour.

For media enquiries contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694 / teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za

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Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour​

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