Critical Skills

The global talent war for specialists in artificial intelligence (AI) with deep technical knowledge and practical experience has officially reached South Africa.
The increasing number of South African companies reporting difficulty in filling skilled ICT, and media and marketing positions from the local talent pool is indicative of a strong drive to attract AI specialists, says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb, as she unpacks the preliminary findings of Xpatweb’s latest Critical Skills Survey.

A recent High Court order has confirmed that South African missions abroad must adhere strictly to the legal requirements set out in the Immigration Act and the accompanying Regulations, when accepting visa applications. The ruling is seen as a significant step in curbing the unlawful practice by some officials abroad demanding additional, unauthorised documents before accepting applications.

As of the 2022 Census, South Africa is home to over 2.4 million foreign-born residents, among them around 7,400 individuals originally from the United States. While Americans make up a small share of the expatriate population, signs indicate a growing interest in making South Africa a long-term home.

On 29 May 2025, the Department of Employment and Labour published South Africa’s White Paper on the National Labour Migration Policy. The document outlines government’s official approach to managing cross-border labour mobility and sets the framework for how foreign skills will be accessed in the future.

Almost 80% of multinational and large corporations in South Africa experience an ongoing struggle to recruit critically skilled individuals, highlighting the severity of the talent shortage and its impact on business development, says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at the immigration specialist Xpatweb.