Skills, politics, unemployment and violent crime: here's why people are leaving SA

Emigration therapist Dr Sulette Ferreira said people’s reasons for leaving SA have been the topic of many research studies.

They all point to safety and security, education, currency depreciation, lack of job opportunities and political instability.

Ferreira is a co-researcher of a study titled “A License to Leave SA”, published in 2020.

“Although my study covered a small sample, the results suggested that the reasons given to emigrate from SA are multidimensional and included the following: high skills mobility, political reasons, unemployment and violent crime.

“High skills mobility refers to educated individuals with high levels of professional competence who emigrate to enhance their careers in countries that can accommodate their level of expertise. This study confirmed the high amount of professional people emigrating,” she said. 

“Political disruptions can be instrumental in increasing dissatisfaction. To understand emigration, an overview of the political situation is essential. Statistics reveal that there is a direct connection between the political climate, the currency exchange rate, and emigration from SA.”

SA's labour force survey for Q2 of 2019 showed that the economy added 25,000 jobs compared to the year before, while the labour force increased by 598,000 job seekers.

“This statistic implies that only one job was available for every 24 people who entered the labour market the previous year.

"Employment has been declining steadily in SA over the past two decades. SA’s unemployment rate rose to 34.9% in Q3 of 2021, up from 34.4% in the previous period,” said Ferreira.