International companies looking for South Africans with these skills

As many South Africans seek better opportunities abroad, international companies are actively recruiting skilled professionals from the country.

This is according to Pnet’s latest Job Market Trends report, which highlighted that South Africa, like many other African countries, has experienced a rise in citizens leaving the country over the last few decades.

Stats SA’s Migration Profile Report for South Africa revealed that in 2000, just over 500,000 South Africans resided abroad. By 2020, that number had grown to 914,901.

There are a number of reasons driving this phenomenon, which is also commonly referred to as the “brain drain”.

At 32.9 %, South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Even skilled professionals such as doctors and teachers often struggle to find employment locally.

Economic concerns are generally motivating factors for South Africans leaving the country. Professionals in industries like healthcare and engineering often find much better job prospects and higher wages abroad.

Security is another major driving factor, and many South Africans choosing to move to other countries list safety as one of the main drivers.

Although South Africans move to countries across the globe, Stats SA also found that emigrants have a strong preference for Europe. As of 2020, 39.3% of South Africans abroad living in Europe.

This was followed by Oceania, which encompasses regions like Australia and New Zealand, with 29.9% of South Africans residing here, an increase of 8.8% from 2000.

North America was also a favourite, with 18.1% of South Africans abroad living here.

Over the last few decades, other African countries have become a less popular choice for South African migrants, decreasing from 16.9% in 2000 to 10.1% in 2020.

At 2.2% and 0.3% respectively, Asia and the Latin American and the Caribean regions were the least popular choices.

The South African professionals international companies are recruiting

While South Africans are looking to find better opportunities abroad, many international companies are also looking for South African professionals to fill key roles.

According to Pnet’s report, from January to December 2024, 2% of all advertised jobs in the country were international jobs outside South Africa.

The top 5 countries recruiting for skilled South African professionals were Australia, Namibia, The Netherlands, Ireland and Germany.

Southern Africa was the number one region recruiting for South African talent, with Namibia, Botswana, and Tanzania at the top of the list.

The second top region to recruit South Africans was Europe, with the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany frequently looking for South African professionals.

Third in place was Oceania, with Australia and New Zealand recruiting in South Africa. Asia came in fourth, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and India on top of the list.

This was followed by West Africa, with companies, particularly in Liberia, Niger and Ghana, looking to fill jobs with South African professionals.

Interestingly, the report found that there is quite a bit of variation in the types of professionals in demand in different parts of the world.

In Southern and West Africa, the professionals that were in demand were managers – across middle, senior and executive levels – and accounting professionals.

Managers were also in demand in Asia, along with medical professionals and engineers.

Oceania was looking for South Africans in the building and construction industry, including building and project managers, and quality and land surveyors.

Civil, electronic and mining engineers are also in demand in this region, along with therapists, pharmacists and nurses.

In Europe, recruiters are looking for South African millwrights, electrical engineers and building project managers.

Several maintenance and repair skills were also in demand in Europe. These include installation and repair of vehicle and mobile equipment; electrical and electronic equipment; HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning); and instruments and equipment.