Recruiters are receiving a growing number of requests from SA expats seeking to return to the local workforce. Many enquiries flooding in are from those still living abroad. They’re exploring opportunities available in the SA job market. The latest spike in South African professionals returning to home soil, was reported as a “reverse emigration trend”, by media outlets.
Datafin Co-Owner Lindy Sollinger, says in more recent years, factors such as loadshedding and “stringent EE quotas” were amongst reasons people sought to emigrate.
“Now we are seeing people returning. There is the pull factor of the great weather and no loadshedding for over 300 consecutive days (shhhh…don’t tempt it).
“And now we have the ‘uncertainty’ (missiles) in the Middle East and the political climate in the US as a push factor. So, we get a lot of enquiries about the job market from expats living abroad.”
According to businesstech.co.za, the site reported in April, that an increasing number of “skilled” South Africans were returning from countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom “after building careers overseas”.
“Industry data has indicated that recruitment firms have recorded as much as a 70% increase in enquiries from South Africans abroad exploring return migration.
“Most of these inquiries are coming from professionals based in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada,” the article stated.
Remote work has afforded many expats the ability to return home but continue working for international companies. There has also been a significant rise in companies abroad scouting for South Africans specifically to join their remote teams.
Sollinger said not only has there been an influx of SA Expats seeking jobs, but also employers abroad wanting to employ from our local talent pool.
“Also, what we have noticed is a lot of US and UK companies using local South African talent remotely.
“We are known as having a good work ethic and not being full of nonsense,” she explained.
Datafin Recruiter Amy Singh said she had a candidate from the UK wanting to return to SA. He was shortlisted for a local role and awaiting feedback.
“He is keen to move back to be with his family,” she explained as the reason behind his homecoming decision.
Missing their loved ones remains one of the biggest “pull factors” prompting SA Expats to come back. They also report the country as having a more affordable cost of living. Also, despite making new friends, they miss the culture and yearn to be closer to family and friends.
Datafin Recruiter Chantelle Lawrence says this sentiment was shared by one of her candidates who was desperate to come home. Lawrence managed to secure a contract role for her so she could return to South Africa.
“She decided to come back because the cost of living was quite high. Although she had made friends, she still felt lonely. She also felt like she didn’t have her own sense of community and support while living in another country.
“She didn’t stay with the same company, and we placed here in a contract role in South Africa so that she could come back …at the time she desperately just wanted to come home,” told Lawrence.
