 Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey 2020/21 highlights the most in demand scarce skills the country is facing, which has led to businesses seeking to recruit talent from across the globe. Xpatweb’s annual survey has fast become known as a benchmark for business and policy makers. Input from the 2019 research findings was submitted for consideration when the drafting the latest OIHD critical skills shortage list. The survey was conducted across a wide range of multi-national and corporate firms to assess the level of difficulty organisations face when sourcing scarce skilled individuals and the role of foreign nationals in addressing these shortages. The number of respondents has grown exponentially in recent years, with a 30% increase in responses from 178 in 2019, to 220 in 2020/21. Xpatweb managing director Marisa Jacobs highlighted the results of the latest Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey 2020/21. “The survey has revealed that 77% of organisations have stated that they are still struggling to recruit and obtain critical skills in South Africa for their local and cross-border operations. 76% of participants further confirmed that an international search will assist the organisation in meeting its business objectives,” Jacobs said. Top 10 most in demand skills According to the latest survey, the top ten skills businesses are struggling to recruit include Engineers (18%), ICT (13%); Foreign language speakers (10%); Media and Marketing Specialists (9%); Artisans (8%); C-Suite Executives (7%); Senior Financial Executives (6%); Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences (5%); Science Professionals (4%) and Accounting (1%). Over the past five years, the skills shortage has persisted with eight categories of skills dominating the top of the list of professionals that businesses find difficult to recruit. “This has led to many organisations seeking suitably qualified and experienced candidates beyond South Africa’s borders to fill these posts” Jacobs said. ICT professionals and Engineers in highest demand The number of businesses indicating that engineers are difficult to recruit rose from 16% to 18% which could indicate that these skills are being lost to the brain drain as countries like Australia and the United Kingdom compete directly with South Africa for qualified and experienced professionals. Business expansions into Africa for special projects locally in the oil and gas sectors also tend to attract these in demand skills. Mechanical engineers (26%) were most in demand, followed by maintenance engineers (18%), chemical engineers (13%) and industrial engineers (14%). The demand for ICT skills remains unprecedented and, on the rise, as 14% of businesses, compared to 15% of respondents in the 2019 survey now indicate that they struggle to source skilled professionals in this field to drive their operational demand to transition into the digital economy. Professionals most sought after included IT application developers (11%), data analysts (10%), data scientists (9%), software developers (9%) and software engineers (8%). “As big data, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and the internet of things rapidly shape the way of doing business, which often marks the difference between firms that survive and thrive in the transition from the third industrial revolution into the 4IR and those that don’t compete effectively, sourcing these skills is a priority that cuts across all sectors,” Jacobs noted. Cross border trade growth spurs demand for C-Suit executives and foreign language speakers Senior Financial and C-Suite Executives remain in demand with the number organisations reporting that it is a struggle to find suitable candidates to fill these key business leadership positions. Most in demand professions were Chief Operating Officer (24%), Chief Financial Officer (24%), Chief Executive Officer (19%) and Chief Technology Officer (19%). These skills are most sought after in sectors including business and finance; production and manufacturing; management; information communication; IT and technical services, mining and administrative services. “Factors influencing the challenges that businesses face in recruiting the right person for these roles include the fact that in a global village, organisations are increasingly seeking professionals with international experience. Businesses are not only seeking essential tick box qualifications and experience required for a traditional executive position, but they want professionals who are equipped with niche business experience to lead their expansion and growth across international markets,” Jacobs explained “Businesses are aware of market dynamics in their various global markets and need to be certain that candidates understand the nuances of their specific focus areas,” Jacobs added. This global expansion of businesses and especially growth in cross-border trade on the African continent has also led to rising demand for foreign language skilled professionals, including the hiring of interpreters. Some 10% of organisations indicated that they struggle to find people with adequate foreign language skills, a marked increase from just 4% in the 2019 survey. Foreign language speakers most in demand included, French (29%), German (18%), Mandarin (14%); Italian (10%), Spanish (10%) and Dutch (4%). Sectors that are finding a demand for these skills are largely information technology and communication; business and finance; hospitality and tourism and education and libraries. Global competition for skills The survey findings reveal that South Africa continues to compete on a global stage for critical skills. The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom’s critical skills shortage lists virtually mirror the skills that SA is desperate to attracted as highlighted in the 2020/21 Critical Skills survey - from ICT and C-Suite Executives to Engineers, the country’s need to fill posts in these fields to grow their economies. “SA has to compete more than ever with the likes of the US, Australia and the UK when considering its strategy to recruit skilled professionals. SA policy makers therefore need to consider how to make it as easy as possible for skilled professionals to gain access to work and business opportunities locally,” Jacobs advised. “Fortunately, the SA government is serious about this and has updated the critical skills list to stay in touch with the needs of the local economy. The critical skills list makes it possible for businesses to embark on recruitment drives to source these skilled professionals abroad which makes it important for organisations to take advantage of the opportunity to comment on the new list before the deadline,” Jacobs concluded. Many of the skills on this new survey echo the new Occupation in High Demand (OIHD) list which served as the basis for the updated Critical Skills List (CSL) released Minister of the Department of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi last month for public comment by 31 March 2021. The CSL represents the latest list of skills deemed in short supply in SA and who may apply for a work visa in terms of the Critical Skills Visa category under the Immigration Act. For access to the full 2020/21 Critical skills survey results, please visit www.xpatweb.com. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/ 
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 Employers whose business depends on imported engineering skills must submit their comments on the new draft Critical Skills List no later than 16h00 on 31st March 2021.
So says Marisa Jacobs, MD of Xpatweb, the only private company invited to participate in the development of the proposed List. “Holders of critical skills visas based on the previous CSL will be unable to renew them if their skill is discarded from the new list, and their organisations will be required to follow are more lightly visa process where the resource is required beyond their current visa validity period,” she says. “The Covid pandemic has in a number of cases impacted projects which will mean that resources may be required beyond the initial assignment period,” Jacobs adds. While certain engineering roles appear on the list, others in high demand have not been included. Scarce engineering skills Industry experts agree that various engineering skills are in short supply locally, often in specialised fields. Sumaya Hoosen, Human Capital & Skills Development Executive at the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA), says absent from the List are mechanical and electrical design engineers, quality systems engineers, robotics and production engineers, and production and process control engineers and technologists. “At an intermediate level, specialist technicians across several disciplines remain in short or critically scarce supply,” she says. These include lift; heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and generator repairs; non-destructive testing; and process control technicians, as well as additive manufacturing technologists, environmental specialists, and supply and distribution specialists. Millicent Kabwe, acting Executive: Strategic Services at the Engineering Council of South Africa points out that while the List is generally comprehensive, specialisations cannot be overlooked. “ECSA accreditation clearly states that professionals can only practice in their field of competence,” she says. Civil engineers, for example, can specialise in roads, traffic and transportation, hydraulics, water and sanitation, structural or geological disciplines. Experts in one area are not considered competent in another. Kabwe also notes that chemical engineers and refrigeration and air conditioning artisans have been neglected. Interestingly, Xpatweb’s survey data echoes this sentiment showing that 13% of respondents who struggle to recruit engineers, also say that chemical engineers are in high demand. “The state of the Chemical Industry in South Africa has not shown any significant growth in the last decade,” she says. In addition, Kabwe says that a number of roles in the automation instrumentation mechatronics field should have been included in the draft List. “The fact that mechatronics technician was the only mechatronics professional identified shows that the current List is only concerned with maintaining equipment from international suppliers and not developing new technologies,” she observes. Hoosen agrees. “The List is not progressive enough to regard technological developments in the industry,” she says. Xpatweb’s latest survey reveals that shortages occur predominantly in production and manufacturing, architecture, mining, education and libraries, and healthcare. In these arenas, the specific engineering roles were mechanical, maintenance, chemical, mining, industrial, nuclear and automation engineers. “Preliminary results show that 18% of participants struggle to recruit engineers,” reports Jacobs. At the same time, 97% of respondents with an engineering skills shortage indicate that ongoing access to these skills is vital to their business’s continued operational success. Education and experience Although engineering graduates are available in South Africa, employers seek both good education and ample experience to protect the integrity of their projects. Xpatweb’s survey data shows that 40% of respondents require their engineers to hold an advanced diploma-level education, whereas 12% demand a Master’s degree. 13% require one to three years experience, 37% want three to five years experience, and 46% need five years or more experience. Succession planning and skills transfer Encouragingly, 81% of survey participants indicated that using expatriate professionals to facilitate succession planning and skills transfer is a top priority for their business. “Companies actually prefer local engineers but need employees with the right experience,” says Jacobs. “Hiring expatriates provides mentoring opportunities while meeting that condition.” Hoosen states that the most important benefit of hiring foreign engineers needs to be in the development of local competence and expertise in these much needed disciplines. Kabwe believes that the transfer of skills and knowledge to the country will lead to increased innovation, as well as other economic advantages, like keeping talent, business and taxes inside South Africa. Taking action With only a few days left to make their needs heard, Jacobs urges employers to submit their comments on the draft Critical Skills List. “After the deadline, the chances of recruiting foreign engineering roles not on the finalised List will drop dramatically,” she warns. Jacobs also encourages employers to take Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey. “The fact that our data was used in developing the draft CSL is a testament to the quality of our research methodology, which promises invaluable insights to expatriate employers,” she says. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/  According to Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director of Xpatweb, certain artisan skills have been left off the recently gazetted draft Critical Skills List.
“This should be cause for concern for affected organisations and we encourage them to review the list urgently,” she says. The Department of Home Affairs called for public comment in the gazette and employers have until 16h00 on 31 March 2021 to submit their suggestions. Which artisans? Dr Innocent Sirovha, CEO of the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSETA), says all necessary critical and scarce skills have been included on the draft List. However, Sumaya Hoosen, Human Capital & Skills Development Executive at the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA), confirms that several import skills have been omitted. “In the artisan field, boilermakers and millwrights are in short supply,” he says. Referring to Xpatweb’s own Critical Skills Survey, Jacobs points to the artisan skills that respondents indicated as scarce but essential to their operations. They include millwright, electrician, fitter and turner, instrumentation specialist artisan, automation specialist, and refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic. “Of these, only fitter and turner is included in the draft List,” she says. Preliminary results from the firm’s latest survey show that 7 percent of employers struggle to recruit such artisans. They operate predominantly in the mining, construction, and production and manufacturing industries. Education and experience An interesting note from the Department of Higher Education and Training’s full technical report explains why mechanical fitter, electrician and millwright, although critical, were discarded from the list. It says that these occupations “were described as having a large number of qualified yet unemployed South African citizens who were not finding job placements. For this reason, there is sufficient evidence to exclude these occupations from the finalised CSL.” Although this is true, employers need artisans with a level of education and experience not easily sourced locally. 66 percent of respondents to Xpatweb’s survey seek diploma level education or higher. In terms of experience, 23 percent require a minimum of one year experience, 30 percent require three to five years experience and a massive 43 percent require five or more years experience. Encouraging feedback, 81% of these employers reported that succession planning and the transfer of foreign skills to local artisans is a high priority for their business. “Employers indeed want local artisans but they need good experience to ensure project integrity is maintained,” says Jacobs. Expiring visas Jacobs also points out that certain foreign artisans currently in South Africa under a critical skills visa will not be able to renew that visa when it expires if their skill is not on the finalised List. This means their employers could possibly lose an essential resource for their business where they are not able to sufficiently motivate for a visa renewal, which in turn means they will also have to go through a lengthy process to replace them. “Importing skills not on the CSL takes several months longer and for some employers, this can impact their operations significantly,” says Jacobs. This is yet another reason why they should submit their comments before the quickly approaching deadline. Jacobs also urges employers to participate in Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey, which was the only private sector data used as input for the Critical Skills List. “Employers can benefit immensely from the industry-wide insights our results provide and their influence on initiatives like the CSL,” she concludes. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/  In July last year, the UK government announced that it would be launching a special visa for Health and Social Care workers to apply to work in the UK. This included, amongst other things, faster visa turn-around times, reduced visa fees compared to that paid by other skilled applicants and exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge.
This, according to the Home Secretary, Piri Patel, is in an effort to attract the ‘’best and brightest heath and care professionals’’ globally to work and help strengthen the National Health Service (NHS). Skills shortage in SA South Africa is experiencing a mass exodus of healthcare professionals who look for greener pastures after graduating. In addition, 48% of practising nurses in South Africa are due to reach retirement age in the next 15 years, with not nearly enough in training to fill the shortfall. Attracting skills and investment Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb, notes that while we have the Critical Skills list that includes skills in high demand in South Africa, there is certainly a spotlight being placed on the Legislation used to attract skills and South Africa should be open to considering similar visa options to attract skilled workers and investors alike to strengthen the labour sector and economy. Some examples include
Enabling legislation The pandemic has certainly highlighted various shortcomings across sectors, but it has also shown that nations on the continent and around the world can stand together in times of need. Policy and regulations enable growth and skills development in significant ways but only where we invite debate, comment positively and with insight on draft legislation and make our voices heard. Xpatweb annually conducts the critical skills survey to gather feedback from employers to establish which skills should be included in the Critical Skills list. The survey data will be instrumental in commentary on the latest draft list currently open for public comment until 31 March 2021. This is the perfect platform for employers and all South Africans alike to provide valuable inputs to the Department of Home Affairs on how to optimally leverage the list to attract skills to South Africa to strengthen the economy and local labour force for generations to come. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/  The Department of Home Affairs is currently calling for public comment on the draft of a new Critical Skills List. However, Foreign Language Speakers, a role that featured in the previous List, has been omitted from the draft List.
“Foreign language employees are more valuable than the language they speak and are critical to job creation inside South Africa’s borders,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb. This skill appears high on the company’s Critical Skills Survey results, which were used as input for the draft List. Export industry Mary-Ann McCormick, HR Director at Indian Ocean Export Company (IOEC), says foreign language workers are essential to cementing strong business relationships in the firm’s French-speaking market abroad. The company’s business development managers and export coordinators must be fluent in the language to a degree not found in South Africa. “If we are able to source them, they usually don’t have the skillset or experience we demand for the quality of service we must deliver,” she says. Foreign language workers not only communicate complex information fluently but bring with them international experience and an understanding of the unique traits and expectations of IOEC’s target market. McCormick reports that the company previously tried outsourcing these functions to agents in the destination regions but assuring service quality from a distance proved impossible. “For our model to work, our business development managers and export coordinators must be located in-house,” she says. Contact centres Organisations outsourcing their foreign market support function to contact centre operators typically insist that high quality foreign language consultants be available to their customers. Contact centre services include telephone, chat and email support, as well as website translation and marketing programmes aimed at nominated countries. “These activities require in-depth knowledge of the specific country, its customs, traditions, preferences, nuances and more,” says Sharon Haigh, CEO of Contact Centre Management Group (CCMG), a professional body representing over 2,000 South African contact centres. “Merely being able to speak the language without this knowledge has proven insufficient for our members’ needs,” she says. According to Haigh, the 10 to 15 percent of foreign speakers typically employed at local contact centres ensures those companies can provide jobs to the 85 percent of local workers who support them. In addition, South Africa has been voted the world’s second most attractive BPO destination for three years running. It can improve this standing by focusing on authentic foreign language support. Tourism Few South African business leaders missed Finance Minister Mboweni’s 2021 budget speech in which he called for a focus on job-creating sectors, specifically naming tourism. However, leaders in the tourism field have long complained that a lack of competent foreign language speakers is hurting the industry, especially during peak season. Travellers with money to spend would rather frequent regions where their native tongue is represented. The Department of Tourism has acknowledged this need by offering a two-month course in Mandarin to local tour guides. However, one cannot learn a language effectively in two months and guides make up a small part of the overall business and marketing drive to attract tourists in the first place. Jacobs agrees: “Tourism is a major contributor to the South African economy and native foreign language speakers are strongly linked to growth in that sector.” She adds that preliminary results from Xpatweb’s 2020/21 Critical Skills Survey reveal a significant increase in demand for this role among participants, jumping from 6 percent last year to 16 percent in 2021. Critical Skills Survey Xpatweb has carried out its Critical Skills Survey for the past 5 years, providing reliable data on the needs of South African businesses. As a result, it was the only private sector organisation invited to present its findings before the Departments involved in compiling the draft List. This demonstrates the quality of its data and research methodology. Jacobs encourages organisations who rely on foreign language speakers for the sustainability and growth of their business to comment on the draft List before 16h00 on 31 March 2021. “If they don’t, they will have to wait several months longer before an employee critical to their operations can be onboarded due to visa application restrictions,” she warns. Jacobs also invites these employers to complete the current Critical Skills Survey, which is more in-depth than previously. Doing so will ensure their needs are presented to regulators long before the next public comment process is announced. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/  On 18 February, the Department of Home Affairs gazetted an invitation for public comment on the draft Critical Skills List that was compiled in 2020.
“It is crucial that employers who depend on internationally sourced talent provide prompt feedback,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb, a private firm that contributed data and expertise towards the list’s compilation. “This will ensure they are not denied business-critical skills that are scarce in South Africa.” Interested parties have until 16h00 on 31 March 2021 to submit their comments in writing. So what should organisations be aware of? What’s missing According to Jacobs, several skills that did not make it onto the draft list might be cause for concern. The first is corporate general manager. Multinationals and large corporates who wish to expand into Africa or globally often need C-suite executives with international experience. Inevitably, they recruit this expertise from countries with whom they wish to do business. So its exclusion may prove to be a strategic disadvantage. Foreign language speakers were also missing from the list. South Africa’s thriving call centre industry is just one place where workers who speak their clients’ home language are essential to local companies growing their international business relationships. Certain artisans are not mentioned. Although it may be argued that the country has an abundance of artisans, several highly specialised trades not on the list can only be sourced from outside our borders. Yet, more commonplace technical professions, like fitter and turner, found their way into the draft. “I’m interested to see how local business will respond to these omissions,” says Jacobs. Survey data Jacobs’ comment is related to her company’s own Critical Skills Survey, through which employers indicated that the competencies mentioned above are indeed in high demand. Xpatweb has hosted its independent survey annually for the past five years and was the only private sector firm invited to contribute to the development of the national Critical Skills List. This speaks to the quality of the data collected and the research methodology the company employs. “It was an honour to work with the Department of Higher Education and Training, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Labour in realising the ultimate goal of Xpatweb’s survey, which is to make a meaningful impact on the country’s economic growth,” says Jacobs. Participation Jacobs reports that the DHET has asked Xpatweb to collect a more detailed dataset from future Critical Skills Surveys. So its currently running survey asks more in-depth questions, like the specific role name, required experience and professional qualifications associated with each nominated skill. She also suggests that because the survey has established itself as a trusted source of data and feeds into the national Critical Skills List, it benefits businesses who participate in it. “Our survey gives them early access to the list development process and ensures their needs are considered long before public comment is invited,” she says. The 2021 Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey ends on 1 March and can be accessed through the company’s website. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/  In his State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa announced the imminent release of the highly anticipated updated Critical Skills list for public comment by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
The list forms part of a drive to attract critically deemed skills to underpin efforts to regenerate the economy. In support of this important process, Xpatweb is extending its Critical Skills Survey until 1 March 2021 to give industry stakeholders an opportunity to participate in the upcoming immigration change in South Africa. “Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey takes place annually and has established itself as an important way of measuring the skills needed in the economy. We were honoured to be asked to present our cumulative findings to the Departments of Home Affairs and Higher Education and Training late last year, and so contribute to the draft list that will be released for public comment,” says Marisa Jacobs, Director at Xpatweb. “We will be making the research, which is currently in the field and with over 200 participants, available to the Government as part of our comment on the draft list. “Keeping the survey open for a further two weeks will give industry players a better chance to make their skills needs known.” Global Competition for In-Demand Skills In today’s sophisticated and highly competitive economies, countries are competing for skills to help them stay abreast of fast-moving technologies and rapidly changing business models. A growing number of countries are using their immigration policies to attract these skills to their shores. For example, Britain recently announced favourable visa conditions for much-needed healthcare workers, and Mauritius has introduced a special fast track for investment professionals as it cements its position as Africa’s financial hub. In addition, multinationals operating in various geographical areas need to be able to expedite the transfer of skilled individuals to their subsidiaries as needed. Accordingly, the implementation of skills transfer plans have become vital due to Covid-19 greatly inhibiting the mobility of foreign skilled workers, thus ensuring locals receive necessary training on these particular skills. Thus far, this year’s Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey shows that occupations in the Engineering and ICT sectors remain most in demand, followed by occupations such as Foreign Language Speakers, a range of Artisans and C-Suite Executive-level Management. “Attracting the skills we need is vital if we are to increase economic output and get the economy back on track,” Ms Jacobs says. Last Chance to Make an Impact “Government’s initiative to fine-tune our immigration system to make it easier for companies to attract the skilled people they need is admirable, and clearly the more data it has to work with, the more accurate the list will be. We’ve already had record participation in this year’s survey, which indicates how important an issue this is. We are urging companies to take advantage of the new closing date to make sure their voices are included in the process of compiling the final critical-skills list.” Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey remains open until 1 March 2021 and can be accessed here. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/ Preliminary 2021 Critical Skills List Paves Way for SA to Compete for Skills on Global Scale7/1/2021  The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has submitted its preliminary Critical Skills List to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for review.
“The list is publicly available from the DHET’s website and companies should start reviewing it in anticipation of a round of public commentary before it is finalised,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb. Jacobs confirmed that Xpatweb’s own research was used as a refence of input for the DHET Occupations in High Demand (OHID) report and, subsequently, informed the preliminary Critical Skills List by the DHET. Availability The current Critical Skills List was published in 2014. Significant macroeconomic events have affected the country’s foreign skills demand since then, like the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact of COVID-19. This makes the new list vital to enabling the recruitment of emerging business-critical talent internationally to promote economic growth. Jacobs anticipates that, with the recent publishing of the OIHD report from the same research base, the momentum of that work will carry forward to the finalisation of the new Critical Skills List. “The new List is likely to be published in early 2021,” reports Jacobs. Exclusions Notably, several occupations on the current Critical Skills List have been excluded from the preliminary list. These include corporate general manager; risk assessor; certain ICT designations; electrical and chemical engineer; toolmaker; pressure welder; boilermaker; certain trades, such as millwright, pipefitter, double-coded welder and rigger; foreign language speaker; and business analyst. This may concern employers who have difficulty sourcing these skills locally. Visas for foreign nationals listed on the Critical Skills List are typically processed two to six months faster. This puts companies who urgently need to replace scarce workers not on the List at a disadvantage. “To make their needs heard, organisations must provide feedback proactively as the opportunity to comment becomes available,” says Jacobs. This will ensure the finalised list aligns with actual national business requirements. Input As the only private company invited to present its findings in an interdepartmental session to develop the OIHD, Xpatweb provided research from its own Critical Skills Survey, taken annually over the last five years. This research is also incorporated into the DHET’s preliminary Critical Skills List. Jacobs believes Xpatweb’s participation can be attributed to the quality of its Survey data. “Of the 32 occupations listed in our report, 24 were already included in the preliminary List, so there was a significant complementary overlap in the research” she says. The Survey provides a channel for organisations to pre-emptively participate in initiatives like the development of the national Critical Skills List. “Instead of waiting for the public comment process, they can contribute to the early stages of policy formulation,” says Jacobs. Conclusion Jacobs urges organisations to become active players in the final Critical Skills List. “This will help ease immigration constraints that may limit access to occupations essential to economic growth,” she says. She also commends the DHET and DHA for their outstanding work and for openly engaging the private sector. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/  At a media briefing held on 26 November, the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Blade Nzimande, formally published the Government Gazette containing the highly anticipated 2020 National List of Occupations in High Demand (OIHD).
“The OIHD list is an essential resource for skills development initiatives across the tertiary education, public and private sectors,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb, a private firm that was invited to contribute to the list’s compilation. Why the list is important The OIHD list alerts tertiary education institutes, professional bodies, employers and other stakeholders to occupations that indicate relatively high employment growth in the past, present and future but are currently in shortage. This allows them to establish courses and internal skills development programmes to alleviate future shortfalls in business-critical competencies. The Gazette regards an occupation as being in shortage when the demand for labour exceeds the supply of people willing to work for a particular income, under prevailing working conditions, at a specific place and point in time. “We encourage stakeholders to review the list against their existing training programmes and human resources requirements to ensure they are adequately prepared,” says Jacobs. Private sector input “As the only private sector company to receive special mention in the Gazette, we are proud to have been consulted in this process,” says Jacobs. She attributes the firm’s inclusion based on the Critical Skills Survey Results, which is an annual survey that reports the skills that organisations consider most difficult to source and recruit. On the basis of this research, Xpatweb was invited to present its findings as part of an interdepartmental session, also comprising the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the Department of Labour, and the Department of Trade and Industry. This included the methodology used and impact on employers. The Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey is in its 5th year running and, with inputs from the DHET in the above consultation sessions, the 2019/20 survey is more in depth to further unpack feedback from the participants. The inputs received up to end September 2020 have already been incorporated into the OIHD list published on 26 November. The impact of COVID The 2020 OIHD list takes into consideration the impact of COVID-19 on economic activities and the consequent shift in demand for affected occupations. These are highlighted either in red, indicating possible slower recovery in or lower demand for the skill, or green, indicating possible faster recovery or increased demand. “This introduces some uncertainty into the equation, and we will closely monitor how the pandemic plays out and if there are lasting effects on the job market,” says Jacobs. Towards a critical skills list The OIHD list is not a critical skills list and does not indicate those occupations requiring the employment of skilled foreign nationals for whom visas may be obtained. The DHET will work with the DHA to amend the existing national critical skills list, which was last updated in 2014. The list is expected to be published in early 2021 and incorporate occupations that have recently emerged. “Our research suggests these will include occupations in the growing oil and gas sector, ICT skills and STEM teachers,” says Jacobs. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Rosa-Mari Le Roux, 060 995 6277, rosa-mari@atthatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT Xpatweb: HOLISTIC EXPATRIATE SOLUTIONS The Xpatweb group has been in existence for over 15 years and includes over 100 professionals, including immigration specialists, mobility practitioners, tax practitioners, attorneys, and chartered accountants. They offer holistic, client-centric, and fully compliant expatriate and work visa solutions. Clients can expect an exceptional end-to-end service that starts with an initial technical meeting to discuss any past challenges, a recommended optimal solution, and the creation of a roadmap and protocol for service delivery. They also offer an on-premises immigration audit service to confirm expatriate employees hold legally obtained, valid visas, and that their duties align with their visa conditions. In addition, their unique online immigration tracking system helps you to easily manage and track expatriate assignees across the globe, is fully customisable and dashboard-driven, and provides a secure repository for storing assignees’ documents. For more information on Xpatweb please visit: Website: http://www.xpatweb.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-permit-south-africa/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/xpatweb/ |
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