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    How to register on ESSA as a work seeker

    By TMP Team · Updated

    Quick answer

    Register on ESSA, the Department of Employment and Labour's free work-seeker system, at essa.labour.gov.za or at a labour centre. Online you need your 13-digit ID number, your surname and an email address. After that, capture your CV, search for opportunities and apply. ESSA doesn't promise a job, and registering is free.

    Hands typing on a laptop on a wooden table next to an open notebook

    Ways to do this

    Official channels only. We don't run any of them.

    ESSA (Employment Services of South Africa) is the Department of Employment and Labour’s national database of work seekers and opportunities. Employers register their vacancies, and the department matches registered work seekers to them. It also offers career counselling. Registering is free.

    What you need

    To register online, ESSA asks for:

    • your 13-digit South African ID number,
    • your surname, and
    • an email address. If you don’t have one, you can open a free one with an online email service first.

    If you don’t have an ID number, or ESSA can’t verify it, ESSA says you need to go to Home Affairs to apply for or check your ID first.

    For your CV, have your contact details, qualifications and school subjects, work experience and references ready. See how to write a South African CV.

    Register online

    1. Open the ESSA website and choose to register as an individual.
    2. Accept the disclaimer and enter your ID number, surname and email address.
    3. ESSA emails you your password. Your ID number is your username.
    4. Log in and capture all your details: personal and contact details, education and employment history.

    If you forget your password, use the “Forgot password” link on the login page, or email pes@labour.gov.za.

    Register at a labour centre

    You can also go to a labour centre, where an employment services practitioner can register you. The department’s list of labour centres gives each one’s address and phone number.

    Find and apply for opportunities

    1. Log in and use the advanced search.
    2. If you have a reference number for an opportunity, enter it and search.
    3. Read the details and check that you meet the requirements.
    4. Apply.

    The department sends the CVs of matching work seekers to employers, who then shortlist, interview and appoint. Keep your profile up to date so you can be matched.

    What ESSA can and can’t do

    ESSA helps you look for work. The department has said it doesn’t promise anyone a job. Register on SA Youth as well if you are 18 to 34, and check the public service vacancy circular for government posts.

    If you lost your job, registering as a work seeker is also part of a UIF claim. Estimate your benefits with our UIF calculator.

    Need help?

    Email the department’s employment services at pescontactcentre@labour.gov.za, or visit a labour centre.

    Stay safe

    The Employment Services Act says no person may charge a work seeker a fee for employment services. The department says that if you are asked to pay anything for recruitment, it is likely a scam. Don’t share your ID number, banking details or ESSA password with anyone who contacts you about a job.

    Next step

    How to write a South African CV