Employment Inspections Identify 231 850 Foreign Workers

Labour inspections found foreign nationals employed at 21 371 workplaces, with Gauteng and North West recording the most.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Employment

Employment Inspections Identify 231 850 Foreign Workers

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The Department of Employment and Labour identified 231 850 foreign nationals employed at inspected workplaces by the end of the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. Inspections covered 168 766 workplaces, of which 21 371 were found to be employing migrant workers.

Why it matters

Inspector General Aggy Moiloa expressed concern that migrants are occupying entry-level positions that could be filled by South Africans. The findings put employment of foreign nationals at the centre of labour-market debate across South Africa.

The Department's inspections identified 231 850 foreign nationals across 21 371 of 168 766 inspected workplaces, with 46 533 employed in agriculture and 41 359 in wholesale and retail. The report does not state how many of these workers hold valid work permits or how the figures compare with earlier inspection periods.

The players

Department of Employment and Labour

The South African government department responsible for labour policy, workplace inspections and enforcement of employment legislation.

Aggy Moiloa

The Inspector General of the Department of Employment and Labour, who raised concerns about migrants filling entry-level jobs.

The details

Inspections by the Department's Inspection and Enforcement Services branch identified foreign nationals working across several provinces, with Western Cape recording 34 675. Agriculture employed 46 533 migrant workers across 1 205 employers, while wholesale and retail employed 41 359 across 6 698 employers.

End of the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year: inspections identified 231 850 foreign nationals employed.

Economic Context

The findings arrive as the Department's inspection regime reports on foreign-national employment under the Employment Services Act. The figures add a quantified dimension to ongoing debate about labour-market access for non-citizens in South Africa.

For employers, the inspection findings signal closer scrutiny of workplaces that employ foreign nationals. Job seekers in entry-level roles may face stronger competition in sectors such as agriculture and wholesale and retail.

The takeaway

Employers and workers alike should track how labour inspections translate into enforcement, since the figures point to where foreign-national employment is concentrated. Verifying work-permit status is a practical first step for any employer hiring in affected sectors.