IMP 2018 Panel Discussion

Attracting and Retaining Critical Skills

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SKILLS SHORTAGES

South Africa is faced with a shortage of skills across a number of sectors. The Critical Skills list published by the Department of Home Affairs was introduced in 2014 (the updated list is expected to be released in April 2019), identifying the sectors and specific occupations plagued with these shortages thereby providing business with the ability to source these skills globally ensuring continued economic growth.

SKILLS TRANSFER – HOW?

Mr Phindiwe Mbhele, Director of the Department of Home Affairs’ Corporate Accounts Unit, indicated that in many cases the source of the challenges faced in transferring of skills may not be the ability, but rather the method. This is especially apparent in occupations such as CEO and other executive roles where the skill set is diverse and hard to quantify.

Deputy Director of Labour Migration at Department of Labour, Ms Nonhlanhla Ngwenya, further referred to the ‘Employment Services Act’ promulgated in 2014, that will introduce training processes for South African companies to better enable them to conduct the necessary upskilling of local talent through skills transfer programs.

CONCESSION PLANNING

Ms Monyela, whom has experience as an expat herself, advocated the importance of expatriate employees and especially at strategic and executive level. Philafrica being a multi-national organisation with plans to expand further across Africa, Ms Monyela appreciates that expatriates are necessary for the growth of the organisation but requires strategy to ensure skills transfer and concession planning. The skills transfer is further required both locally and abroad to ensure holistic development of the business.

She caveats, it is about finding the balance between bringing foreign talent into South Africa and sending skilled local employees abroad with the clear intention that, in both instances, skills are going to be utilized fully and transferred for the prescribed purpose and period that they have been assigned.

As an HR executive, Ms Monyela encouraged any HR professional to understand the landscape in which the desired skills of foreign employees ought to be deployed.

ENGAGE

Once the company has determined the set of skills they require, they need to familiarise themselves in terms of the various processes involved when employing a foreign national.

This will include engaging both an Immigration Service Provider and the Department of Home Affairs to determine the correct and most feasible methods to proceed in employing a foreign national.

Mr Moeketsi Seboko, Immigration and Technical Manager at Xpatweb, indicated that he is often approached by organizations and professionals after an application for a visa has been rejected, only to find, that numerous errors and incorrect processes were followed in applying for the visa. This naturally incurs unforeseen delays with the project where the expat is required to be onsite within a prescribed timeframe and causes frustration for the employer.

At the on-set, it is imperative to determine and qualify a foreign employee correctly within a prescribed visa category as per the Immigration Act of 2002, as amended. This will avoid unnecessary delays and complications. It is best to approach a professional whom has gleaned knowledge in terms of processes and requirements for foreign employees.

In most cases, rejections could have been prevented if prior engagement with the Department of Home Affairs had occurred. Mr Mbhele welcomes any Corporate to approach the Department of Home Affairs prior to the implementation of a project and to gain the support of the Department and determine exact requirements and protocols specific to the project.

In closing

The onus is therefore on employers to ensure that the South African labour market is upskilled by the foreign employees within the respective organisations. If further able, to retain these skills to ensure continued input into the South African economy.

Panel members

  1. The Issuing Authority – Mr Phindiwe Mbhele, Director of the Department of Home Affairs’ Corporate Accounts Unit;
  2. The Deciding Authority – Ms Nonhlanhla Ngwenya, Deputy Director of Labour Migration at Department of Labour;
  3. A South African Employer – Ms Mpume Monyela, HR Director at Philafrica Foods (Pty) Ltd; and
  4. Immigration Service Provider – Moeketsi Seboko, Immigration and Technical Manager at Xpatweb.

 

What skills has your business been struggling to recruit locally?

What skills has your business been struggling to recruit locally?

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Following the President’s address, the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, briefed the media on the amendments to the visa regulations. While some of the changes, such as the visa requirements for highly skilled foreigners being revised, was well-received news, some of the reportedly “new” changes were implemented in South Africa years ago.

“Foreigners studying to pursue a critical skill qualification in South Africa have been able to apply for permanent residency since 2016. Similarly, business people from BRICS countries have been able to obtain business visas that are valid for up to 10 years since 2014. These directives work well, but they are not new,” Marisa Jacobs, director and Head of Immigration and Mobility at Xpatweb, points out.

New critical skills list

Arguably the most welcome visa regulation revision to promote foreign investment and encourage migration is the changes that are being planned to the critical skills list. Gigaba announced that the Department is currently engaging with respective Government Departments and business sectors for their input. The new critical skills list is expected to be released in April 2019.

“Businesses have the opportunity to provide input on the critical skills list. As such, HR professionals, recruiters and business owners are encouraged to ensure they take this opportunity to provide input on the skills that they are most struggling to source locally. This will allow organisations to attract foreign workers to South Africa and compete for talent,” says Jacobs.

To aid local businesses and provide a platform for business to collectively give their input to the Department, Xpatweb has launched the 2018 Critical Skills Survey which takes less than five minutes to complete. The results will be submitted to Home Affairs and Parliament concerning the White Paper on International Migration and the Department of Higher Education and Training’s National List of Occupations in High Demand.

“Now is the time for the private sector to make sure the skills they need are on the list and make use of the opportunity shape law,” adds Jacobs.

Some of the skills that Jacobs expects to either stay on the current critical skills list or to be added include highly skilled senior finance executives such as CFOs, C-suite senior executives as well as a variety of skills in the ICT sector. The Corporate General Manager category is expected to be removed and replaced with more defined roles.

“There is a skills shortage in South Africa and we are competing globally for these skills. For the economic stimulus and recovery plan to work, South Africa needs to attract critical skills more easily. Revising the critical skills list, coupled with revised visa requirements for highly skilled foreigners is a vital step to attract knowledgeable and experienced resources to our country,” concludes Jacobs.

“A recent report by Xpatweb revealed that 75% of companies admit they actively seek international talent to fill their skills needed, despite the onerous visa requirements – among the most critical skills cited, are artisans. In an effort to produce specialised skills, the DHET recently announced that South Africa’s 50 technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges would soon start specialising in teaching certain trades.”

Read more

 

Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on economic stimulus and recovery plan

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“We are decisively and rapidly accelerating the implementation of key economic reforms that will unlock greater investment in important growth sectors. These reforms include immediate changes approved by Cabinet to South Africa’s visa regime. Within the next few months, amendments will be made to regulations on the travel of minors, the list of countries requiring visas to enter South Africa will be reviewed, an e-visas pilot will be implemented, and the visa requirements for highly skilled foreigners will be revised. These measures have the potential to boost tourism and make business travel a lot more conducive.”

 

Unabridged birth certificates scrapped in time for festive season

Unabridged birth certificates scrapped in time for festive season

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As the festive season approaches, the department of home affairs will scrap regulations requiring parents travelling with minors to present an unabridged birth certificate at ports of entry.

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said minors will still require the consent of both parents to leave the country. Children may travel however, with a birth certificate and a minor passport, which is in the process of being rolled out, and is in line with section 18 (3)(C) of the Children’s Act .

Rules from 2014 had stipulated that minors had to carry an unabridged birth certificate and have parental consent to travel.

In an interview with Radio 702 last week, David Frost, CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association said, “We know in the first year when the unabridged certificate requirement was being placed, 13 000 people were being turned away from points of embarkation but the real cost is people considering South Africa as a destination, coming across the requirements and then simply going to alternate destinations.”

Foreign minors will not have to carry parental consent and birth certificate with the new visa amendments. However, their parents will have to carry the documentation for their children, and travellers will have the opportunity to prove parental consent or relations to the child.

These changes, Gigaba promised, will be implemented “in good time before the festive season”.

“The department of home affairs, is committed to managing immigration in a way that advances our national development, security and our international obligations,” Gigaba said.

“It is a challenge inherent in immigration management to protect, prevent and act against these risks,” Gigaba added.

In an effort to retain critical skills, the government will make it easier for international graduates to stay in South Africa.

If an international student studied and graduated with a critical skill in South Africa, they may be eligible for permanent residence. Gigaga said however, “If you pursue a course outside the critical skill list, you will have to follow the normal steps to gain permanent residency.”

However, the list of what constitutes being highly skilled has yet to be discussed or finalised.

The changes had been finalised during a September 19 Cabinet meeting. These include changes to regulations applying to foreign minors travelling to South Africa, visa waivers, and relaxation of visa requirements for certain countries namely Nigeria, China and India.

According to Gigaba, travellers from India and China will be issued a 10-year multiple entry visa within five days of application, instead of the previous five-year multiple entry visa.

“We play a critical role in admitting over 10-million international visitors annually, which includes tourists, investors and neighbours,” said Gigaba. “Millions of jobs are sustained by the economic activity generated by these travellers.”

Gigaba said he wanted to make travel for visitors who support the growth of the economy as easy as possible, “while guarding against travellers who do not abide by our laws, those who overstay and persons associated with transnational threats such as organised crime, human trafficking, and terrorism.”

Other changes include an e-visa and e-gate. The latter will be piloted at Cape Town, King Shaka, and OR Tambo international airports to allow returning South African citizens, and trusted travellers — international travellers who visit South Africa frequently and do not have a criminal record — to use a self-service kiosk, lessening the number of people interacting with an immigration officer.

Gigaba said that South Africa was developing a biometric control movement in order to clear travellers quickly on arrival. The system has been piloted at Cape Town, Lanseria and OR Tambo and King Shaka airports. It has also been piloted at six of the country’s key land ports and processes are at an advanced stage to overhaul systems at land ports that have led to congestion.

“These measures have the potential to boost tourism and make business travel a lot more conducive. Tourism continues to be a great job creator and through these measures we are confident that many more tourists will visit South Africa,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday.

Source: Mail and Guardian

Visa Amendments - Highlights from Department of Home Affairs Address

#VisaAmendments: Highlights from Department of Home Affairs Address

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  1. Permanent Residency for graduates within the Critical Skills Sectors is being further promoted to retain these skills, this will include temporary resident Critical Skills Work Visas for graduates not opting for Permanent Residency.
  2. 10-year Business Visas for BRICS countries issued within 5 days. These applications may be submitted via courier. This is aimed at boosting investment from countries such as India and China.
  3. Visa-free travel is being negotiated with numerous countries across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean.
  4. Ease of travel for minors to promote tourism.

Click here for a copy of the Ministers’ full statement

Critical Skills List
Directive for graduates who studied within a Critical Skills area
List of passport holders who are exempt from visas for South Africa
BRICS Directive – Long term multi-entry visa for Business Travels