South Africa's Department of Employment and Labour has taken its place alongside fellow BRICS member states at the 3rd Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting, which opened today and runs until 14 July 2026. The two-day technical session precedes the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' (LEM) Meeting, scheduled for 15–16 July, under India's 2026 Chairship.

Convened under the overarching theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," the gathering brings together senior employment officials and ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa to deepen collaboration on shared labour-market priorities.

South Africa's technical delegation to the EWG is led by Mr Sipho Ndebele, Acting Deputy Director-General for Labour Policy and Industrial Relations. The country's ministerial delegation will be headed by the Honourable Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Mr Jomo Sibiya, for the LEM Meeting later this week.

The first day of the Working Group was devoted to finalising outstanding paragraphs in the draft BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Declaration, alongside technical presentations and member-state interventions under Priority 1: Advancing Social Security and the Formalisation of Labour Markets.

Expert contributions from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA) framed the discussions, drawing on global and BRICS-specific evidence to address extending social protection coverage and facilitating transitions from informal to formal employment. Delegates then shared national policy approaches, reinforcing the value of structured cooperation among BRICS economies in tackling these persistent challenges.

Priority 2: Enhancing Women's Participation and Inclusion in the Workforce will take centre stage on 14 July, along with the remaining priority areas:

· Cooperation on employability.

· Skills mapping and skills development; and

· Leveraging digital technologies for the benefit of all workers, including gig and platform   workers.

As the EWG serves as the primary technical forum for negotiating and refining the draft Declaration, its outcomes will be presented for consideration and adoption at the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting later this week.

South Africa's active engagement underscores its enduring commitment to decent work, social protection, skills development, and inclusive labour markets—advances that are strengthened through sustained multilateral cooperation among BRICS member states.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

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

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour

​ 

​​