The star Online
Monday, November 20, 2006
Australasia and the United Kingdom continue to be the destinations South African emigrants flock to every year, according to the latest statistics released by Stats SA.
The trend has also recently been confirmed by the South African Migration Project's (Samp) Potential Skills Base Survey. It also revealed South Africa's shortage of skilled professionals was about to get worse.
Listed as "self-declared" emigrants, 16 165 South Africans left the country in 2003, according to Stats SA. At the advent of democracy in 1994, 10 235 South Africans left.
That figure declined over the next five years to 8 487 in 1999. The figure increased to 10 262 in 2000.
Shortage of skills
In 2003, Europe received the highest number of South African emigrants with 6 827. The United Kingdom accounted for about one third of this with 5 204.
Over the same period 2 276 South Africans emigrated to Australia and 966 left for New Zealand.
Out of the 16 165 SA emigrants, more than 10 000 were economically active or skilled, according to Stats SA.
According to The Potential Skills Base Survey, conducted by Samp, the United Kingdom was the leading preferred destination followed by the US, Australia, Europe and Canada. The survey revealed South Africa's shortage of skills was set to become worse.
It revealed that 40 percent of final-year tertiary students were considering emigrating. The sample included 54 percent women and 46 percent male students, with a median age of 22.
Student perceptions in the survey showed a lot of pessimism about the country's future. A total of 80 percent said the HIV and Aids situation would get worse, while six in 10 felt their personal and family's safety would get worse, the survey revealed.
However, Stats SA's statistics saw 10 714 foreigners immigrate into the country in 2004. But that figure declined by almost half the following year to 5 650.
According to the report, 230 993 foreigner travellers arrived in SA in 1965, compared to the 6 815 202 in 2004, which increased to 7 518 320 last year.
Of the more than 7-million foreigners to visit South Africa last year, 2 127 009 arrived by air, 2 269 on rail and 5 208 720 used road-based transport.
Home Affairs spokesperson Jacky Mashapu said he could not comment on the migration trends.
During a National Assembly debate on the Immigration Amendment Bill earlier this month, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said her department constantly monitored the extent in which immigration laws reflected government policy. "One of the areas where this balance is required is in acquisition of foreign skills to support our economic objectives."
She said government had to look for ways in which foreign skills can be transferred to SA citizens.