South Africa has taken a key step towards fixing its broken work-permit application regime, which the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa has identified as a critical impediment to growth.
According to Bloomberg, the Department of Home Affairs has invited companies that want to secure work permits for senior executives and technicians to participate in a pilot of a Trusted Employer Scheme, it said in a government notice this week.
Businesses that want to take advantage of the program, which is designed to dismantle the byzantine application process, will need to demonstrate that they run training programs for South Africans, the department said. Participants in the program will see their applications given higher priority and there will be fewer requirements and a reduced number of supporting documents.
The move comes as companies operating in South Africa struggle to find skilled workers, a result of a dysfunctional education system exacerbated by emigration. Still, between 2014 and 2021 only 25,298 skilled work permit visas were approved, according to a report prepared for the presidency earlier this year.
While processing a work visa in South Africa can take 48 weeks or more, the process in Kenya is a maximum of 12 weeks and just eight weeks in Nigeria, according to the report.
The Trusted Employer Scheme is seen as a key step in making South Africa more attractive to foreign investment and skilled workers. If the pilot is successful, the scheme could be rolled out more widely.
The launch of the Trusted Employer Scheme in South Africa is likely to have a positive impact on Nigerians who are seeking to work in the country. The new scheme will streamline the work-permit application process and make it easier for businesses to hire skilled foreign workers. This could increase the number of Nigerian workers who can secure jobs in South Africa.
In addition, the scheme requires businesses to demonstrate that they are running training programs for South Africans. This could lead to a greater demand for Nigerian workers, often seen as highly skilled and experienced.
Overall, the launch of the Trusted Employer Scheme is a positive development for Nigerians seeking to work in South Africa. The new scheme will likely make it easier for Nigerian workers to secure jobs in the country and could lead to a greater demand for Nigerian workers.
However, it is essential to note that the scheme is still in its pilot phase, and it remains to be seen how effective it will be in practice.
