South Africa

South Africa is a major destination country for many migrants seeking better opportunities. Between 1990 and 2015, the annual number of visitors from the SADC region increased from 1 million to 5 million in 2015. About 95 per cent of the migrant stock is from the SADC region, where 75 per cent are regular migrants. Most migrants were seeking opportunities in the mines and agriculture sector but also engaged in cross-border trade-related migration.  South Africa became the fourth most popular destination for people from across Africa particularly Zimbabwe, France and the USA seeking further education, investment, and employment opportunities.

South Africa attracts highly skilled to low-skilled migrants with varied skill levels. Most settled in urban areas in South Africa have experienced skills scarcity in sectors such as health, manufacturing, and finance. The Government adopted the Occupations in High Demand List in 2015 which was gazetted in 2020. The Critical Skills List provides an assessment from other departments on the skills gaps and needs with the most recent reported in 2022.