Employers from Europe, Asia and Australia want South Africans for these jobs
South Africa continues to experience a ‘Brain Drain,” with the country seeing a rise of citizens moving abroad over the last few decades.
The migration of skilled professionals to other countries & continents which offer higher salaries or a better standard of living is known as the “Brain Drain”.
South Africa has seen a rise in citizens leaving their home country and moving abroad over the last few decades.
The desire to leave South Africa is often linked to high crime rates, some of the world’s worst employment figures and the desire to see other parts of the world.
Stats SA’s recently released ‘Migration Profile Report for South Africa’ provides insights into the increasing trend in South Africans moving abroad for the first twenty years of the twenty-first century.
Notably, the number of South Africans living in other countries increased from about 500,000 in 2000 to over 900,000 in 2020.
Pnet used the latest data from Stats SA in its job markets report for February and broke down the regional preferences when moving abroad.
Europe is top of the list, accounting for roughly 40% of the South African diaspora from 2000 to 2020.
Oceania is also increasingly popular with South Africans, rising from 21.1% of the total in 2000 to 29.9% in 2020.
Notably, South Africa’s diaspora as a percentage has dipped in Northern America from 20.4% in 2000 to 18.1% in 2020, as well as in Africa from 16.9% to 10.1%.
Overall, when looking at the top three countries, South Africans favour the UK, Australia and the USA when moving abroad.
Pnet also looked at how often international companies poach local South Africans by investigating data from January to December 2024.
Pnet’s research showed that 2% of all advertised jobs in South Africa are located outside of outside of its borders.
The top five countries looking for South African workers are Australia, Namibia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany.
The recruitment platform said that the vast variety of countries advertising jobs in South Africa points to some clear trends, with certain regions far more likely to recruit South Africans.
The number one region for recruiting South African talent is Southern Africa, with Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania at the top of the list.
The second top region for South Africans is Europe, with the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany frequently looking for South African professionals.
In third place is Oceania, with Australia and New Zealand often recruiting South African workers. Asia is in fourth spot, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and India hungry for locals.
West Africa is the fifth top region when recruiting South Africans, with Liberia, Niger and Ghana looking to fill jobs with South African professionals.
| Region | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 |
| Oceania | 21.1% | 25.6% | 27.5% | 29.7% | 29.9% |
| Northern America | 20.4% | 18.5% | 16.7% | 18.5% | 18.1% |
| Latin America and The Caribbean | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Europe | 38.6% | 38.8% | 41.4% | 37.7% | 39.3% |
| Asia | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.2% |
| Africa | 16.9% | 14.2% | 11.5% | 11.2% | 10.1% |
What professionals are high in demand internationally
Pnet stressed that different countries will have very different roles that they look to fill. Kenyan recruiters are primarily looking for managerial staff, while Irish recruiters want mechanics and construction experts.
Although there are great differences in demand for South African professionals between countries, the demand for professionals is far more homogenous on a regional level.
With this focus, Pnet said that regions are looking to fill the following jobs with South African workers:
Europe
Maintenance & Repair
- Vehicle & Mobile Equipment Installation / Repair
- Electrical & Electronic Equipment Installation / Repair
- HVAC Installation / Repair
- Instrument & Equipment Installation / Repair
Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
Building & Construction
- Building Project Management
Manufacturing & Assembly
- Millwrights
Asia
Business & Management
- Middle / Department Management
- Senior Management
Medical & Health
- Various Medical & Health professions
Engineering
- Various Engineering professions
Oceania
Building & Construction
- Building Project Management
- Quantity Surveying
- Land Surveying
Engineering
- Civil / Structural Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Mining Engineering
Medical & Health
- Therapist
- Pharmacist
- Nursing / Professional Care Giving
West Africa
Business & Management
- Middle / Department Management
- Executive Management / Director
Finance
- Various Accounting professions
Southern Africa
Business & Management
- Middle / Department Management
- Executive Management / Director
- Senior Management
Finance
- Various Accounting professions
Pnet said that there appears to be a significant drive to recruit South African managerial staff in Asia and other African nations, while there is also a drive to attract accounting professionals across Africa.
Notably, South African engineers are in demand in Europe (focus on Electrical Engineers), Oceania (focus on Civil / Structural, Electronic and Mining engineers) and Asia (various Engineers).
“What also stands out is that Europe displays a frequent demand for blue-collar workers from South Africa,” said Pnet.
“European companies are specifically looking for Technicians and Mechanics in the Maintenance & Repair sector.”
“South African Millwrights and Building Project Managers seem to be popular in Europe, too.”
In Australia and New Zealand, construction workers like Building Project Managers as well as Surveyors are in high demand.
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