The department of home affairs last week published an updated draft list of more than 100 critical skills – a list first published in 2014 – highlighting which talent government believes is in short supply and that needs to be attracted to South Africa from abroad.

But do the skills in the updated list match the reality of what’s needed on the ground, especially in South Africa’s ICT industry?

The list is important for businesses in South Africa looking to find talent from abroad as it allows foreign nationals to work in South Africa much more easily than would be the case if they didn’t possess those much-sought-after skills and qualifications.

The occupations listed are in areas that have scarce, critical or special skills in industries that are needed to help grow and sustain the economy. The list is still in draft form and businesses and other interested parties have the opportunity to comment further on skills they believe should be added.

In his state of the nation address on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that the ability to attract skilled immigrants is a hallmark of a modern and thriving economy.

He added that South Africa will streamline and modernise the visa application process to make it easier for foreigners to travel to South Africa for tourism, business and work.

More difficult

Phil Joubert, CEO at OfferZen, a specialist software developer jobs marketplace, said it is positive that there are technology roles in the new home affairs list, including skills that are in short supply.

However, the list requires international candidates to have experience and the appropriate educational background to qualify. For example, an engineering manager and data manager now require an NQF level 8 qualification. (The NQF is a set of principles and guidelines by which records of learner achievement are registered to enable national recognition of acquired skills and knowledge, according to the South African Qualifications Authority.)

Joubert said this will make it more difficult for local companies to hire foreign tech professionals, with fewer foreign workers able to qualify for the critical skills list. As a result, it will become more difficult for South African firms to recruit from the global tech talent pool or compete with international companies that are poaching local talent to work abroad.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the nation in Cape Town on Thursday evening. Image: GCIS

He said this is made worse by the fact there is no reliable statutory professional body for software developer degrees in South Africa.

In terms of the new guidelines, software developers will require an NQF level 7. However, OfferZen research shows a fifth of local developers don’t have a university degree, 10% don’t a formal tertiary education and 13% of started university but didn’t finish their degrees.

Although the home affairs list outlines some challenges such as work experience and qualifications for international candidates, Ramaphosa said in his state of the nation address on Thursday that a review of the work visa system is currently under way and will be led by former director-general of home affairs Mavuso Msimang.