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BusinessLive reports that according to the Department of Public Service & Administration (DPSA), about 0.44% of public servants in SA are foreign nationals.
Of the estimated 1,390,216 public servants, there were 6,333 foreign nationals employed in the public service at the end of April, and the department wants to tighten the strings on their employment. The number of foreign workers was particularly concentrated in the education and health sectors, where 3,305 and 2,625 workers, respectively, were employed at national and provincial levels combined. Acting deputy director-general Anusha Naidoo said the two sectors have the “highest concentration” of foreign nationals because South Africans are not open to the idea of working in far-flung areas. “Do we keep the skill vacuum – that is, leave the schools without teachers – or do we advertise and if a foreign national applies, we take them through the recruitment process, and if they qualify we appoint them?” Naidoo asked.
Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube told MPs last week that more than 30,000 teachers had either resigned or been dismissed from public schools over the past five years. The cabinet recently approved a white paper on the national labour migration policy and the Employment Services Amendment Bill, both of which aim to ensure the prioritisation of local workers and set clear guidelines for the hiring of foreign workers.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA LabourNews home page