Overview
Why global companies arehiring in South Africa
A talent hub for remoteteams
When it comes to remote working, not allcountries are equal. Robust digital infrastructure, and the right people to useit, are essential.
The Network Readiness Index, created by theWorld Economic Forum, consistently ranks South Africa as one of Africa’s mostdigital-ready nations. The infrastructure available in urban areas matches thatfound anywhere in the world. This is backed up by a growing knowledge economywith an educated and skilled workforce.
A global sweet spot
Geography works in South Africa’s favor. Itstime zone is just two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time, so its normalworking day aligns well with the UK, Europe, and the Middle East and NorthAfrican markets. It’s an ideal remote worker location for businesses that workin those markets.
That central location works well for globalbusinesses, too. Sitting between the Americas and Asia, workers can easilyoverlap with major markets in all regions.
Excellent English
South Africa’s culture and history haveresulted in a high level of English proficiency. Although it has twelveofficial languages, English has become the nation’s lingua franca andis used in government, education, and business.
In recent decades, it has become common foryounger South Africans to spend a year or more travelling before or afteruniversity, further cementing the cultural understanding of spoken English. Itis so widely used that EF’s English Proficiency Index ranks South Africa as themost English-proficient nation in Africa and the eleventh best in the world.
What roles can you hireremotely in South Africa?
If a job can be done remotely, you can hire forit in South Africa. Those that are among the most frequently recruited include:
- Salesdevelopment representatives (SDRs)
- Account executives
- Customer support agents
- Marketing executives
- Operations/admin roles
Why South Africa is sogood at filling these roles
Communication skills are critical, and formalunderstanding of English is not always enough. In South Africa, the everydayuse of English means remote workers use it naturally. Their fluency is enhancedby the cultural affinity South Africans share with Northern HemisphereAnglophone countries. Combined with the relatively neutral accent, it helpsremote workers build an easy rapport with international clients, prospects, andcolleagues.
Finally, experience also counts. Younger SouthAfricans have embraced remote working as an extension of the travellingculture. Many are keen to continue working for European and American companieswhen they return to their homeland; if you hire remotely in South Africa,there’s a good chance you’ll be choosing someone already well-versed in remoteworking.
How much does a remoteworker in South Africa cost?
Our remote workers start at an all-inclusive€999 a month, making the salary savings one of their chief benefits. SouthAfrica’s lower costs of living and on-costs, like taxes, reduce your wage bill,sometimes by as much as 75% for comparable talent.
The typical salary ranges for key roles showshow much the saving can be. Benchmark salaries — not including on-costs liketaxes and HR expenses – highlight that the cost of even an entry-level domesticworker can get you experienced South African remote workers.
The South African talent-market
World-leading education
European settlers in South Africa brought theirown education system with them, and the nation still benefits. The Universityof Cape Town is ranked as Africa’s best university in the annual QS rankings,and South Africa dominates the regional listings of top universities andcolleges.
Formal education is supplemented byself-training through globally recognized platforms like Udemy or Coursera. OurSouth African remote workers all boast impeccable academic credentials.
Remote-readyinfrastructure
South Africa’s urban centers all have fast,resilient, remote-ready infrastructure. With high upload and download speeds,and low network latency, working with a remote worker in South Africa isindistinguishable from working with someone across the street or even in thenext office.
The infrastructure is further supported by thegrowth of co-working hubs in South Africa which provide serviced workspace andfacilities for remote workers, whether they are attending full-time, popping infor some of the social benefits, or for occasional remote team meetings.
Remote-friendly talent
South Africans have embraced remote working.The global opportunities it presents means South African workers often take aremote-first approach when considering their employment options.
Remote work has seen consistent growth in SouthAfrica, a trend that current market analysis sees continuing. Businesseslooking at South Africa as an option can expect a pipeline of experiencedremote workers looking for their next opportunity, and talented newcomers tothe remote working market.
Hiring in South Africa:what you need to know
The legal context forremote workers
South African law places no restriction onhiring remote workers, although remote employers must comply with SouthAfrica’s employment and taxation laws, in addition to any laws that might beapplicable in the employer’s jurisdiction.
Fair labor practices are enshrined in the SouthAfrican constitution, although specific rights are not detailed. The mainemployment legislation is the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 1997. The Actlays out the terms and conditions that every employee in South Africa canexpect, including restrictions on working hours, days in the week, overtime,and entitlements to paid leave, enhanced pay at set times, and sick pay. Aswith most employment legislation, the Act sets a minimum, and local practiceand employee expectation may demand more. South Africa also has a minimum wage,although at less than €1.50 an hour, it is one of the world’s lowest.
The Act extends to contract employees. In broadterms, they must receive the same benefits as a permanent employee. It alsoprevents repeat renewals of fixed-term contracts. Although intended to stopunscrupulous employers circumventing labor protections, this can impact hiringfor specific projects, restricting genuinely needed flexibility.
Typical contracts andbenefit packages
Just like any recruitment, it’s important tohave a competitive package to attract the best talent, and this will usuallymean you have to offer more than the legal minimum.
South African workers are entitled to threeweeks of paid leave a year, or a proportionate amount for part-time workers(although anyone working less than one day a week has no entitlement). Inpractice, the best talent will expect more. It’s worth considering the offersmade by competing employers, since many will match typical European standardsof at least four weeks a year.
The country does not have a mandatorythirteen-month salary but, like many nations, it has become common practice,especially in permanent and longer-term roles. Just like leave, it’s worthconsidering a thirteen-month salary, or equivalent, to attract the best talent,who will more than repay the additional salary costs.
Finally, additional perks, like healthinsurance or enhancements to compensate for home and remote working expenses,are becoming more common. While these may not be necessary for all roles, theycan help to attract applicants for the more senior roles, especially if you areemploying directly.
Using Employer of Recordarrangements
Employer of Record (EOR) arrangements, likethose offered by Huzzle’s partners, are recognized and common in South Africa.Using a local EOR for the formal employment of the remote workers transfers theresponsibility of managing the legal aspects of employment. As well as bringingthe understanding of local employment law, workers benefit from having a localcontact and the security of formal employment through them.
We can help with identifying and shortlistingtalent. Our talent is pre-vetted, and we only work with the top 2% of talent tofind the people who are best suited for your business and its ambitions for youto interview. When you have chosen your talent, we take care of all theemployment administration — even helping with onboarding — to offer a seamlessservice whatever employment arrangement you use.
How Huzzle helps you getthe best South African talent
Huzzle gives you:
- Morethan 45,000 pre-vetted candidates.
- Up to 75% savings on salary costs.
- Full-time remote workers in 14 daysor less.
Effortless South Africanhiring
Our approach takes away the headaches ofrecruitment, while leaving you in control. We identify vetted, interview-readycandidates in days, so you can have full-time remote workers in 14 days orless.
We begin with a discovery call, establishingwhat your ideal hire looks like and how you want them to help you meet goalsand realize your vision.
After that initial call, we review yourrequirements against our extensive selection of candidates. Only the best areon our books, and we filter that list even further, so we are confident thecandidates aren’t just good, they are the very best for you.
We give you all the details, so you can choosethe candidates you want to interview; you know you are getting the best remoteworkers because you get to select them.
And it’s all risk-free: if it doesn’t work out,we’ll find a replacement fast and at no extra cost.
Transparent pricing
Staffing is, by far, the largest part of mostbusiness’s overheads. The salary the employee sees is just a part of the coststo you. You often need to pay additional taxes and levies.
If you employ South African remote workers, youwill need to register as an employer with the South African Revenue Service.This will require you to pay contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund,as well as managing your employees’ tax through a pay-as-you-earn scheme. Ifyou have more than a few employees, you also must pay the Skills DevelopmentLevy. On top of that, the HR costs, even for a model employee, can be high.
That’s why Huzzle’s options are so popular. Asingle, fixed fee covers everything.
Our remote worker options come with a simplemonthly price starting at an all-inclusive €999 a month for a full-time worker.And that’s exactly what you get.
We take care of the complex internationalemployment and taxation arrangements, and if the worker leaves or doesn’t workout, we find you a replacement candidate.
With Huzzle, you can focus on results, notrecruitment.
Fast and flexible globalrecruitment
Whether you are recruiting your first remoteworker, or adding to a team, we typically move from your decision to recruit towelcoming your new remote worker in less than two weeks.
If you need remote workers urgently, we canoften be even quicker. Typically, we offer an initial shortlist a few daysafter a discovery call and if you find the right candidate quickly, we canfrequently have remote workers in place in just a few days.
As leaders in remote recruitment, we alreadyhave an extensive roster of South Africa’s best remote workers, as well as theresources and networks to expand that roster to meet your needs.
We also give you unparalleled flexibility. Ifyour business is scaling, or goes through fluctuations in demand, we can offerremote workers who match your needs. Whether it’s a predictable peak, or asurprise surge, our remote workers can help you meet the demand easily. And ifyou need to scale down, that’s just as easy too. We even offer month-to-monthcontracts, so you are never tied into paying for employees you don’t need.
Why remote workers inSouth Africa just make sense
It’s not much of a surprise that South Africahas emerged as a global hub for remote working; its mix of people, place, andpay create a near-perfect cocktail for remote working.
The nation boasts a talented and motivatedworkforce. Backed by a strong education system, workers with experience ofworking for global companies are keen to market their talents in the remotemarketplace.
South Africa benefits from geography, beingwell-placed to serve the European market, and offering overlap with theAmerican and Asian time zones. That benefit is compounded by the high levels ofEnglish fluency. For most South African remote workers, English will either betheir native language, or one that they are using every day at work andleisure.
And, important for businesses keen to managetheir budgets, South Africa can offer significant savings; Huzzle can save youup to 75% on your salary costs, while remote workers get competitive salaries.It’s a win-win.
Building your remote team
Remote hiring need not be a headache.
We can take care of almost everything: fromfinding the best talent and matching them to your company culture and ambition,to dealing with the time-consuming administration. You can go from enquiry tohaving a full-time remote worker starting in just 14 days.
Tell us what you need, get a shortlist of thebest candidates from our selection of 45,000 professionals, and then simply letus take care of the rest. You just benefit from the best global talent.
Whetheryou’re ready to hire a remote worker or an entire team, get in touch, and itmight only be days before you’re welcoming your new colleagues.
