Black professionals are leaving the country to compete with the overseas qualifications of many returned exiles, a recruitment company said on Wednesday.
”The former political exile community has been punting their overseas qualifications and work experience … This has created the perception that employers give preference to people with international experience”, said Brian Khumalo, a recruitment executive.
Khumalo, who is a senior partner of a large South African executive recruitment company, Leaders Unlimited Korn/Ferry, said this perception of inferiority is fuelling the outflow of skilled black professionals.
”Local blacks are now trying to emulate them [the returned exiles],” he said.
This in itself is not a problem, said Khumalo, but growing numbers of these black professionals are not coming back.
Other African countries are in similar situations, said Khumalo.
”Countries like South Africa and Nigeria train large numbers of highly skilled professionals, many of whom are deliberately poached by countries in Europe and the United States.”
The presidents of South Africa and Nigeria, Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo, met recently to discuss ways of encouraging Africans — scientists, engineers, technologists and managers working outside the continent — to return home, said Khumalo.
”We desperately need the input and expertise of these men and women to help grow the economy and to create jobs for the more than one million unemployed people in South Africa.”
However, he admitted that it is a ”chicken and egg situation”.
South Africa needs a strong vibrant economy to create the demand for skilled professionals; however, a strong human resource base will lead to more investment in the country.
”Do you invest first, and have skills come after, or do you enhance your skills base, and have investment follow the skills?” he asked.
While likely to raise the hackles of trade unions, who already believe that executives are too highly paid, Khumalo said that executive salaries needed to be internationally competitive.
”The most highly skilled workers tended to relocate for higher wages, or better opportunities for development. They move so that they can develop. That is a natural thing,” said Khumalo.
”An employee is hardly going to look for greener pastures when he or she is paid appropriately and treated well in their home country,” he said.
”It is imperative that employers invest in their workers to prevent them from leaving the country.”
He said that while social conditions are also a cause of this ”African diaspora”, the government is taking effective steps to improve this situation. — Sapa