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While the labour market in South Africa continues to present its challenges, particularly for unskilled labourers, many ex-pats and international companies have taken notice of the highly-skilled and knowledgeable professional workforce in Africa's leading economy.
As the demand for remote workers is increasing, foreign companies now have easier access than ever before to talented South Africans, through methods such as outsourcing. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why being a South African professional right now presents a wealth of opportunities. If you’re thinking about starting your career or changing jobs, now could be your best time to do so.
Professionals from South Africa are highly-skilled and well-educated
South Africa has a long history of producing some of the hardest working and most highly-skilled professionals in the world. This is largely because tertiary education is relatively affordable in South Africa, compared to the high cost of tertiary education in foreign countries. This has allowed proportionately more people to attend university to earn bachelor's degrees and diplomas. It has also resulted in more job seekers being able to enter- and succeed in- lucrative fields like engineering, computer science, commerce and finance. No matter what industry you’re in, there’s a high chance you’ll find South African professionals who have the skills that you need.
Many South Africans are multilingual and have diverse cultural backgrounds
While South African professionals are typically fluent in English, it is also common to find South Africans who are fluent in popular European languages, such as German, Spanish, Italian and French. As many South African workers will be bilingual, if not multilingual, they are able to communicate with clients from around the world. Furthermore, many South African workers come from diverse cultural backgrounds. The nation's historical ties have also resulted in the formation of large populations of British, Indian, and Chinese people in the country. Additionally, many South Africans have roots in other European countries, such as Germany, Italy, Greece and Portugal. This makes South African workers particularly adept at working in multicultural environments.
Many South Africans also have experience working with international companies
As South Africa's economy has broadened over the past few decades, a larger percentage of South African professionals have spent time working indifferent parts of the world. This has resulted in an increasingly large number of South Africa's professionals gaining exposure to international business and different business cultures. South Africa’s strong global ties have allowed its workforce to gain exposure to multinational businesses. As a result of this, many South African workers are adept at working with clients and customers from a variety of countries. They utilize all of their linguistic and interpersonal skills to bring new products and services to the global marketplace.
The nation's professional services sector is highly regarded
The South African professional services sector is well-developed, delivering some of the world's best banking and finance, insurance and manufacturing solutions. This results in many South African workers - in fields such as accounting, law, finance and consulting - enjoying an esteemed reputation in the global market. As many of these service sectors have become so well-established, South Africa has grown to be competitive on the international stage in this regard. This means that many of the country's professionals can use their knowledge in these fields as a stepping-stone to international success. Since countless South African firms have international reputations, they’re also very often engaged by other developed economies to help improve their practices and business culture at more affordable rates than other global competitors.
Key takeaways
· Professionals from South Africa are highly-skilled, well-educated, multilingual, and come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
· Many South Africans have experience working with international companies, and the South African professional services sector is highly-regarded.
· If you’re a South African professional, this may be the best time to look for remote work abroad.
· International companies have realized that there is an abundance of talented South African professionals to whom work can be outsourced at more cost-effective rates.