Employment Equity Reporting Season Opens – Are You Ready?
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The Department of Employment and Labour has confirmed that the 2025 Employment Equity (EE) reporting cycle opens on 1 September 2025. Designated employers (those with 50 or more employees) are required to submit their annual EE reports and align their plans with new sector targets published earlier this year.
👥Who Must Submit?
Designated employers (50 or more employees, or those meeting turnover thresholds).
Non-designated employers (under 50 employees) must still confirm or update their status on the EE Online system if they wish to request an EE Compliance Certificate.
⏰ Key Dates and Deadlines
Manual submissions: 1 September – 1 October 2025
Online submissions: 1 September 2025 – 15 January 2026 (midnight)
📍What’s New in 2025?
The Employment Equity Amendment Act, 2022, which took effect on 1 January 2025, introduced:
Five-year sectoral numerical targets across 18 economic sectors.
A requirement that designated employers’ EE Plans (2025–2030) align with these targets.
The EE Compliance Certificate (section 53) is now mandatory for access to state contracts.
Reduced reporting burden for small businesses (those with fewer than 50 employees).
💻 How To Log In to EE Online Reporting
Go to www.labour.gov.za and select Online Services → Employment Equity Online Reporting.
For new employers: register online. An activation link will be emailed to you.
For previously registered employers: the CEO and EE Manager will receive a reminder letter with an activation link. Old passwords from previous years won’t work.
Click the activation link, create a new password, and log in.
Once logged in, employers can capture, edit, and submit their EEA2 and EEA4 forms.
Employers and the public can also request copies of EEA2 reports via the portal.
📝 Manual EE Reporting Steps
Get the forms – EEA2 (Equity Report) and EEA4 (Income Differentials) from www.labour.gov.za or a Labour Centre.
Complete the forms – Fill in workforce, targets (EEA2) and salary info (EEA4).
CEO sign-off – The CEO/Accounting Officer must sign both forms.
Submit – Hand-deliver to your nearest Department of Labour office between 1 Sept – 1 Oct 2025.
Keep proof – Get and file your acknowledgement of receipt.
Note: Manual submissions close on 1 October 2025, after that, only online submissions are accepted until 15 January 2026. If you cannot submit (e.g. due to exceptional circumstances), you must notify the Director-General in writing using the EEA14 form by 29 August 2025.
📌 Why This Matters
Under the new regulations, employers will be measured against their annual progress towards five-year targets. Falling behind may affect your ability to do business with the government.
Last year, over 29,000 EE reports were submitted covering nearly 7.7 million employees, and authorities are expecting even stronger compliance in 2025.
