SA migrant scholars: Undocumented foreigners not to blame for jobs crisis

South African (SA) migrant scholars say the greater population is woefully misinformed about the number of undocumented foreigners living and working in the country.

Migrant scholars say their work shows that only a small quotient of the SA population are international migrants and that the overall effect of international immigration on the labour market is not detrimental.

Majority of general populace views foreign nationals as a threat

Preliminary data analysis from the 2021 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) found that majority of the general populace views foreign nationals as a threat.

“A plurality believes that foreigners are a major source of unemployment and other socio-economic problems,” said the scholars in a statement.

They say the anti-immigrant sentiment has grown since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and as a consequence of it.

“The general public would appear to be misinformed about the impact of international migration and how it affects the national labour market.”

Prior research by the Human Sciences Research Council found that misconceptions are anchored in an overestimation of the number of foreign-born nationals in the country

“As the undersigned, we are committed to developing effective policies and interventions that will
provide South Africans with the economic and physical security they deserve.

We also do not wish to dismiss the lived realities of the South African people,” said the scholars.

Population size

Existing public opinion data shows the general public is woefully misled about the size of the non-national population.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has conducted three national censuses since the democratic transition (1996, 2001 and 2011), with the Census 2022 currently underway.

The number of those born outside SA was 958 188 in census 1996, 1,03 million in Census 2001 and 2,2 million in Census 2011.

Gauteng is the province with the lowest total fertility rates but shows the highest population growth rate of all provinces due to migration.

The United Nations Population Division estimated that in 2015, there were approximately 3,2 million
foreign-born persons in SA and in 2019, this estimate had climbed to 4,2 million.

Similar estimates have been produced by the KNOMAD unit from the World Bank.

Stats SA estimates that there were approximately 3,95 million foreign-born persons living in the country at the mid-point of 2013.

Irregular not illegal

The scholars have also dismissed suggestions that there are tens of millions of undocumented migrants living in SA.

“Irregular migration is a global phenomenon prevalent in many countries across the world.

It is worth mentioning that many undocumented people enter the country in a documented manner but are then unable to maintain this status.”

Foreign-born migrants and job creation

“There is no evidence that international migrants are a major cause of unemployment in South Africa,” asserted the migration scholars.

“An analysis of labour migration done by the World Bank in 2018 showed that for every employed
migrant in South Africa, he/she creates two jobs for South Africans.”

A report published in 2019 by Stats SA revealed that international migrants are more likely to be employed than internal migrants and non-movers.

During the Covid-19 pandemic an investigation was conducted into the informal sector, which was
impacted most by the government’s lockdown restrictions.

This investigation showed that a higher proportion of those active in the informal sector were international migrants in all provinces except for Gauteng, Western Cape and Northern Cape.

“Many migrants working in the informal economy are vulnerable. When asked about their workplace vulnerability, this group were more likely than non-migrants to have poor working conditions.”

About half (55,6%) had not made contributions to UIF and 40,5% had no employment contract. Of those with a contract, 41,3% had one with an unspecified duration.

Managing Migration

All spheres of government have a responsibility to manage migration.

Local governments, in particular, need to understand and protect the rights of foreign nationals living in
their jurisdictions.

“Most municipalities do acknowledge the importance of counting their populace to plan better for everyone within their jurisdiction,” said migrant scholars.

There is often a gross misalignment between services provided and the number of people actually residing within a municipality.

A new perspective

As we climb down from existing Covid-19 restrictions and its various impacts, we have an employment crisis with an official unemployment rate of close to 35%.

But the unemployment crisis predates the pandemic and, unfortunately, Covid-19 has just exposed existing problems in the labour market.

“SA has many problems. But the data presented in this statement indicates that apportioning them to
migrants would be wrong. “

“It is imperative that we address the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic with sound evidence and that policies be implemented to address our challenges from this perspective,” they conclude.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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