Hiring employees in South Africa
When planning to expand to the country of South Africa, an important part of the process for many companies is the recruitment of a local workforce. The process of South Africa recruitment is sometimes challenging, with various regulations and protections in place, and a unique recruitment culture.
Horizons’ expansion team can guide you through the South Africa recruitment process, offering outsourcing and consultancy solutions to take care of your hiring in South Africa for you. With our support, you can source, recruit, and onboard the country’s top talent more efficiently, and in full compliance with the country’s laws, even if you don’t have an official subsidiary in South Africa.
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South Africa hiring guide
Explore some of the key information about South Africa recruitment and how to hire the best talent to help with your South Africa expansion.
How to source and hire employees in South Africa
Whilst South Africa is afflicted by high rates of poverty and poor infrastructure in many areas, its main cities, such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban are well-developed. They have large populations of skilled, educated workers and so recruitment in these areas is much the same as in any European or North American city.
A good place to start is online on one or several of the country’s popular job websites. Some of the more commonly used examples include Pnet, BestJobs, and many more. LinkedIn and Facebook are also popular with South Africans so can be used as effective recruitment tools.
Discrimination laws for South Africa recruitment
There are wide-ranging anti-discrimination laws covering employees and candidates, and all employers must be careful not to break them, either directly or indirectly. For instance, it is forbidden to discriminate against individuals by employers based on their race, social class, politics, religion, disabilities, HIV status, sexual orientation, age, gender, pregnancy, and more.
Onboarding staff in South Africa
Onboarding new employees in South Africa is generally similar to most other countries, and employers can largely choose whatever methods suit them best. The most important thing to do is be open and transparent with new employees about the workplace culture and any expectations you have. Additionally, you should always write up a detailed contract for every new worker to avoid misunderstandings and disputes.
It is also usually advisable to send a company representative to assist with the onboarding process and training, particularly in the early stages of your expansion.
Compliance for South Africa recruitment
Workers in South Africa are entitled to a range of protections and entitlements by law. For example, there are regulations for, maximum weekly working hours, overtime, vacation allowance, sick leave, minimum wage, and more. You should cover all of these things in the employment contract of every employee and always uphold them throughout the worker’s employment. For more details about employee entitlements in South Africa, visit our South Africa PEO page.
