IT Professionals Leaving South Africa Cite Political and Economic Concerns

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently called on young white South Africans not to leave the country in a pre-election campaign drive in Stellenbosch.

He said that the fears that many white South Africans have of not being wanted, “is entirely not true”. “There is a place, there is room for all of us,” the president said.

The problem of professionals leaving South Africa, however, extends far beyond the young white population.

Many qualified people are leaving the country in search for a better future for themselves and their families.

IT professionals leaving South Africa

MyBroadband’s 2019 IT Salary Survey revealed that 46% of IT professionals in South Africa are planning to leave South Africa permanently, or work abroad, in the near future.

The survey was conducted in April and was completed by 3,055 respondents from a wide range of IT professions and companies.

The main reason for IT professionals planning to leave South Africa is political and economic concerns about the country.

Other prominent reasons for people planning to leave the country is crime, better living standards abroad and a better future for their children.

Convincing IT professionals to stay in SA

The feedback from this survey echoes the views of IT professionals who have already left South Africa.

It also gives a clear indication of what should be done to keep IT professionals of all colours from leaving the country.

• Create a stable political and economic environment.
• Create a safer country by fighting crime more effectively.
• Kick-start economic growth to create more job opportunities and guarantee that the children of today can look forward to a better future.
• Stop Affirmative Action and BEE, or at least change it to ensure it does not discriminate against some groups and reward excellence. Continue reading