Sharp rise in emigration as more South Africans continue to jump ship

An unprecedented number of South Africans may be giving up boerie rolls in search of a better meal ticket elsewhere.

And it’s not just professionals wanting to get out of the country. Between 2015 and 2020, about 128,000 people have left the country.

That’s a staggering almost 70 emigrants buying one-way tickets, in a steady daily stream, every day, seven days a week for five years.

The past month has seen interest in emigration surge by 43% and as much as 1,200% for some professions.

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These days it’s not just the usual herd of doctors, lawyers and accountants wanting out. It’s also truck drivers, teachers, artisans and caregivers.

Michelle Venter of Bold Online Marketing, which conducts ongoing research into online behaviour, said it’s more than just a brain drain now, it’s a flight.

“The surge in activity has seen a steady increase since last year’s looting episode and it’s picking up pace right now,” she said.

Senior consultant at New World Immigration, Mark Wilkinson, added to the list and said that veterinarians, IT people, scientists and academics are choosing Canada, while Australia is attracting engineers, teachers and academics.

He said: “There is also a huge demand for tradesmen Down Under, as well as quantity surveyors, construction managers, occupational therapists and agricultural professionals.”

The impact of emigration on South Africa’s food security may be dire.

Venter said that there has been a significant spike in agriculture-related activity.

She said: “Connecting the digital dots, it looks like many specialised farmers and agri-business professionals are seeking other grazing ground. And they are shopping for farms in States like Texas and Virginia.”

And SA is going to lose more doctors to the UK, said Venter.

Searches for jobs at Britain’s National Health Service have surged by 255% and, added Venter, it’s not just from main metros.

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“It seems a lot of healthcare professionals from provinces like Limpopo and Mpumalanga are planning to bow out and the numbers are growing.”

Overall statistics are suggesting that a growing number of people outside Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are setting their sights beyond our borders.

Limpopo is leading the charge, with Mpumalanga on its heels.

Statistically, the United Kingdom, which already hosts the largest number of South African expats, remains the go-to destination of choice, followed by New Zealand.

Venter added that the US Diversity Visa Lottery Programme has also seen search spikes northward of 22% recently.

“I have noticed in the last few months that load shedding is having a direct impact on the volume of inquiries we receive. The higher the load shedding alert level the higher our inquiries generally are,” said Wilkinson.

Venter noted a large spike, as Eskom regressed South Africans to stage 6 this week.

Wilkinson said other reasons for leaving include the dire state of safety and crime in the country, better education systems elsewhere, better healthcare, better earning potential and more job opportunities.

Venter pointed out that Covid and remote working has also played a large role.

But, she said, sometimes people are just looking for a change of scenery given the enablement technology provides today.

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It is one of the reasons why, Venter said, searches for immigration to South Africa have also increased, albeit not as sharply.

She observed a 23% increase in curiosity about moving to South Africa from the UK and the US.

Wilkinson added that the net impact is still negative for South Africa’s skills bank.

“It is sad to see skilled people leaving our shores daily. We also help skilled migrants come into SA but for every truckload we lose, we are lucky if we attract one highly skilled individual in return.’

Countries like Australia and Canada offer skilled migrants almost immediate permanent residency with all the perks attached.

According to a UN Population Report of 2020, there were about 983,000 South Africans living abroad.