Last week, Bulls Eye Recruiting released The Challenges of Recruiting in Cape Town, Africa.  I had a terrific conversation with Tim Barry about recruiting in Africa and this week is the second part of our conversation.  The purpose of the #globalrecruitment series is to bring the recruiting world together globally and expose the differences in each country.  This is an amazing story.  In a country that is suffering from Ebola, and Civil Wars, it is important to know what is going on in Africa.

1) Tim we talked a little about Economic Equity.  Can you explain to us what that means and how it effects recruiting?

Tim– Economic Equity is an affirmative action initiative enshrined in law with the aim of redressing the imbalance in the percentage of African workers in top-level positions. It dictates that every company within specified industry sectors must satisfy the required Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) scorecard by ensuring that a sufficient percentage of their employees are of African origin.

Therefore when companies with a low BEE rating are hiring they are compelled to specify that they will only accept applications from African jobseekers, with these adverts described as economic equity (EE)

2) What kinds of jobs are available in Africa? What are the hardest and easiest to fill?

Tim- I cannot speak of Africa in general other than to say that the majority of Africans live in rural settlements where subsistence farming or commercial cattle-rearing, crop-growing or fishing are common. In South Africa there are relatively developed manufacturing and service sectors as well as gold and platinum mines, positions in which are easy to fill.

However, the promotion of direct foreign investment in South Africa which has led to several European telecoms outsourcing companies opening call centres, particularly in Cape Town, has been hampered by the difficulty in recruiting reliable and skilled customer service and sales staff.

3) Is there a middle class in Africa? Explain.

Tim- Again I am reluctant to speak of Africa in general, but in South Africa the gap between the affluent white minority and the African majority is being bridged by a growing multi-racial middle class which is the direct result of the aforementioned Black Economic Empowerment and Economic Equity initiatives.Simonstown

4) What can other recruiters learn from you that you have done that may have successfully implemented.

Tim- The HR technology solutions that I have helped to develop and market all enabled recruiters to hire using the new forms of media and technology used by the modern jobseeker, such as mobile, social media and video.

Recruiters must not only embrace the means of communication and interaction used by milennials to ensure that they can reach the talent of the future, but also utilise new technology in order to find jobseekers who do not have access to traditional means of applying for jobs but have the potential to be a great asset to their business.

5) How can the world help South Africa and what do people need to know that many do not?

Tim- South African is stigmatised as a country where inter-racial hatred and violence is endemic which discourages businesses and tourists from experiencing first-hand what this country and its people have to offer. There is a need for more impartial observers to tell the true story of South Africa which is far more complex and enchanting than the stark contrast between black and white in which it is normally painted. The beauty of South Africa goes far beyond that of its landscape and the diversity and multitude of talents of its people deserve much wider recognition than currently is the case.

 

TJB2Tim Barry helps enable South African employers to hire, manage, retain and train the best talent to improve their business performance using the latest techniques and technology. He works with companies who are leaders in the fields of Applicant Tracking, Human Capital and Talent Management, Job Distribution, Referral and Social Recruiting and Sales Management technology. He strongly believes that the development of jobseekers through identifying their innate skills is the key to economic prosperity.