The Department of Employment and Labour in South Africa has identified 8 key professions facing the most impact from skills shortages, making them particularly beneficial for skilled foreigners.
Nairametrics learnt that this information emerged during a recent parliamentary Q&A session, where Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi was queried about critical skills sought from migrants by the Republic.
In reply, the minister acknowledged that akin to countries globally, South Africa encounters a scarcity of critical skills within job sectors where employers struggle to find adequately qualified or experienced employees.
What he said
According to him, Nxesi highlighted that the Department of Higher Education and Training spearheads the research process for compiling and publishing the National Scarce Skills List, encouraging public input through comments.
- “The National Development Plan, the National Infrastructure Plan, Industrial Policy Action Plan and the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) Scarce Skills Lists indicate shortages in certain career fields and are used to determine the needed skills”.
- “One of the alternatives of deploying these skills in the labour market is to source them from foreign nationals,” he said.
The department states that, according to pertinent research, the professions in South Africa most significantly impacted by skills shortages are the ones needing skilled migrants.
Here are the 8 professions needing skilled immigrants:
- Business and Management
- Design
- Engineering
- Financial Sectors
- Marketing
- Medical and Health
- Arts and Media
Nxesi pointed out that these skills align with the Department of Home Affairs’ Scarce Skills List, enabling foreigners to secure corporate or individual work visas when employed in South Africa.
- Eligibility for South Africa’s work visa
The minister emphasized that for visa eligibility, employers must present evidence demonstrating the unavailability of a South African citizen with equivalent qualifications or experience in the relevant category – a situation often observed in the above-mentioned professions.
He highlighted that the department provides recommendations to Home Affairs during the processing of corporate and individual work visas, assessing the availability of such skills in the country on behalf of employers.
Despite these efforts, employers in South Africa face a substantial challenge due to the extensive backlog at Home Affairs in processing these visas.
Reports indicate that visa applications can take up to 48 weeks for approval, posing a threat to expansion plans, investment, and job creation in a country grappling with a 33% unemployment rate.
While Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi initially pledged to clear the visa and permit application backlog by June 2024, the department has now extended this deadline by an additional five months to the end of the following year.
As of November 24, 2023, there were 349 pending critical skills work visa applications, with the backlog in temporary residency visas exceeding 74,309, according to Motsoaledi.
