HR Pulse

SA a magnet for top global performers

South Africans sometimes think of themselves as the poor cousins when it comes to international employment opportunities. The reality is, however, different and we, as a country, are doing much better in the international image stakes than policymakers think. This, in turn, creates significant potential for a sustained boost to national growth prospects.

Annelize van Rensburg, director at Talent Africa, says that the firm receives, on average, 10 unsolicited enquiries a month from international executives looking for a postings to South Africa. ‘’This interest is not limited to up-and-coming managers and professionals from Western Europe where business growth has stalled,’’ says van Rensburg. ‘’Nationals from the USA, where economic recovery is under way, are also looking to put Africa experience on their CVs. We have strong US connections as it is the select South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa alliance of Los Angeles-based and in all cases, South Africa is the preferred career posting.’’

“Unfortunately, South African red tape and restrictions on foreign recruitment create a challenge,’’ van Rensburg continues. ‘’However, our talent acquisition activities extend Africa-wide. Therefore, we can sometimes re-direct the focus to other African countries. This is a pity from a South African perspective as these candidates have impressive skills and strong CVs and have the potential to drive considerable growth within a company or country.”

One factor behind pro-SA sentiment is the changed perception of Africa as a whole. Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly regarded as a place of opportunity, offering good career prospects. “Executive experience inside Africa looks good on the CV. This view comes over strongly because working in another continent implies personal agility and the capacity to apply global business knowledge and best practices locally. Many large companies in the States and Europe look for evidence that a manager can manage diversity and adjust to a different culture. Top performers therefore improve their career prospects on their return to their home countries if they can put a tick in the Africa ‘box’.”

An interesting point to note, according to van Rensburg, is that South Africa is a particularly sought after destination by executives with young families as our best schools are highly regarded in some offshore jurisdictions. ‘’The Africa focus was also assisted by expansion of the African footprint by many South African companies and growing investment in sub-Saharan jurisdictions by multinationals. We have recently placed international executives into top jobs in multinationals in Zambia, Tanzania and neighbouring Mozambique. There most certainly is no shortage of top candidates looking to relocate to Africa. Our continent now attracts top talent from far and wide. Some years ago, French-speaking executives focused purely on Francophone Africa but this is no longer the case. Good quality candidates from France, Belgium and Switzerland are also interested in top jobs in English-speaking Africa.’’

This insight from van Rensburg is heartening as we continue to suffer the ramifications of the brain-drain, losing our local talent to markets that offer more lucrative opportunities. “Hopefully, policymakers looking to drive higher growth and job creation will spot the opportunity and pursue it vigorously,” concludes van Rensburg.