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Cape Town ‘battles to keep black talent’
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Sanchia Temkin
Business Day
Monday, April 26, 2010
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MANY companies in Cape Town struggle to recruit black executives because the prospective candidates are not willing to relocate to the Mother City, even after being offered lucrative packages.
Debbie Goodman- Bhyat, MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters, said last week: “Many corporations in the Cape are pushing hard to recruit and retain high-level black managers to drive and deliver on transformation imperatives.”
However, Goodman-Bhyat said top management and specialist positions were sometimes left vacant because suitably qualified black professionals were not willing to consider relocation.
“Cape Town companies face a worsening catch-22 situation — because there are fewer black executives working in Cape Town, social circles as well as business networks are smaller and less established, making the Mother City a seemingly less attractive option in terms of a complete career and lifestyle for top black talent.”
She said recent research from the firm’s market intelligence team showed that for certain types of job, 70%-80% of potential black candidates were based in Gauteng. “This means the likelihood of a Cape organisation sourcing local candidates for these types of positions is extremely limited.”
Therefore, companies were sometimes forced to agree to the less than desirable commuting option for black executives who were reluctant to relocate with their families to Cape Town, for fear of the move being unpalatable for the family.
“So for those black executives keen to move and take advantage of the situation, they really have the pick of top career advancement opportunities available in the Cape,” Goodman-Bhyat said.
Some progressive Cape-based companies were trying to address this situation in a holistic way, recognising that the lure of great job opportunities and good financial packages was not enough.
Goodman-Bhyat said the process was slow and it was inevitable the Western Cape “will become an equally good lifestyle option for black executives in the near future”.
Landelahni Recruitment Group CEO Sandra Burmeister said black economic empowerment had not taken a back seat, although skills remained the top priority for companies when recruiting. “Preferential procurement has become more critical for companies, particularly for economic survival purposes,” Burmeister said.
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