The saying goes, you can take an African out of Africa but you can’t take Africa out of the African.
But, a short segue…
- The United Nations demographics report shows that in 2019, international migrants numbered approx. 272 million or 3.5% of the global population.
- The ABS reports that as of August 2021, there have been 3 million permanent migrants land in Australia since 2000.
- The ABS also reports that as of 2021, a shade under 30% of Australia’s’ population was born overseas.
- In 2020, Australia ranked 9th in the world for the total number of migrants in its population.
But back to the African, and my view on the world.
You’re never the same once you break free of your bubble. The process of lifting & shifting your entire life elsewhere is a journey on its own; add on the mental gymnastics you go through to adjust / learn, and you become a very different animal.
I’m not the same man that left Johannesburg in October 2019. I suppose none of us are the same since we learnt about the Spicy Flu…
South Africa is often called the Rainbow Nation, but I must say, I’ve never seen anything like the diversity I see in Sydney. We have Africans, we have Persians, we have Arabs, Indians, Europeans, Chinese, Syrians (I’m sorry if I’ve left you out specifically). This is truly a special melting pot of different nations pooling experiences, POVs and skills to create an ironically, uniquely Australian product.
Why is any of this important?
If you’re not setting your business up to hire immigrants, you’re doing yourself an injustice. Sure, we bring our own sets of challenges – who thought that learning to drive a shopping trolley again would end up on the special skills section of my CV. People challenges are not unique to emigrants and the only way to avoid people challenges is to not hire at all. On the upside, immigration makes us a little more resilient, a little more flexible and with skills and POVs that can augment and compliment a home-grown labour force.
Now can someone teach me how to turn right with a Woolies trolley, please? I need to buy my Tim Tams.
Remember us at Cox Purtell when you’re looking for staff. We can help you bring on both permanent & contract staff, with many products to suit your budget including retained services, and a great back office to manage your contract payroll. We also hold an On-Hire Labour Agreement with the Department of Home Affairs meaning we can sponsor overseas skilled workers. In short, once your candidate is selected and if they are eligible for a visa, we will sponsor and hire the candidate on your behalf. Imagine it being that easy to open your business up to the uniquely special skills of talent from all over the world. Magic.
