Abacus Recruitment

6 November 2007

IT and health workers coming back to SA – or want to

During the last five years there has been a marked increase in the number of IT workers returning to South Africa – and an increasing number of health workers who would like to return, but cannot afford to.

This is according to Karen Geldenhuys, MD of Pretoria-based IT recruitment company, Abacus Recruitment.

“In the late 1990s we were seeing a lot of IT workers leave South Africa for offshore destinations, including the UK. But now we are seeing a new trend: IT workers want to return. Each month we are actively dealing with at least three South Africans who want to return to this country, most particularly from the UK. But we are getting at least 10 applications each month. That is a marked increase from five years ago. The increase over the last three years has been around 50%,” said Geldenhuys.

She also said that while SA was losing a lot of health care workers – including nurses – to the UK, many of them “now want to come home”. “They have found out that living in London, for instance, is extremely expensive. The dream of returning to SA with lots of Rands due to the strength of the pound has not really materialized. Those nurses who dreamt of being able to support their families in SA due to their pound-earning capacities, are frequently finding that the cost of living in the UK – most notable in the London area – makes it literally impossible for them to save on their salaries.”

IT workers, however, generally earn far more then healthcare workers – with many being able to save some of their pounds and return to this country with “a nice little nest egg”.

Commenting further, she said the bulk of the candidates her company deals with are returning because they are homesick and because they believe they have now gained the experience they wanted to.

“It is really interesting: none of the men want to admit that their experience overseas wasn’t that good – and not that lucrative. Or not as lucrative as they had expected. But the women are fairly open when it comes to giving their reasons. The bulk are homesick – and they find that the lure of the pound was ultimately not that rewarding due to the high cost of living over there.”

A recent SUNDAY TIMES press report said there is a significant increase in “returning expats”.

Martine Schaffer, a director of the Homecoming Revolution, said there is an “increasing stream” of British-based South Africans, especially those with young children. They are apparently returning to SA to invest their pounds “and immerse their children in solid South African values that they can’t find abroad”.

Some parents feel that children lack respect for adults – and for the authorities – in the UK.

Recent reports also reflect on the negative situation many South African nurses- working in London - are finding themselves in. Many have being caught up in huge debt traps due to the high cost of living, discovering that their salaries are just not enough to enable them to save money – let alone pay their debts.

A Welkom nurse, Patrick Fobo – working in London – said he has been “trapped by debt”.

Speaking to the press, Fobo said: “They dish out four, five, six credit cards when you arrive in Britain, and then, too late, you discover the ridiculous cost of living here.”

Fobo added that he earned the equivalent of R30 000 a month, but that the high cost of living in London left him saddled with debt. He spoke of a R2000 TV license to R7 500 in council taxes. He is now left with credit card debts of more than R100 000.

Commenting further, Geldenhuys said that, in the late 1990s, Irish and British-based recruitment agencies were sometimes looking for up to 50 IT workers in “one go”. “This is no longer happening. From our perspective we are no longer being approached by overseas companies or recruitment agencies – like we were in the late 1990s. The frenzy seems to have calmed down. Less IT workers are leaving South Africa, and a lot more are returning. We have seen at least a 50% increase in the number of South Africans living in the UK who are approaching us for assistance in the last three years,” she said.