Are Foreign Nationals Really to Blame for Our Jobs Crisis?

I remember the first time I heard someone shout, “Go back to your country!” It was at a small taxi rank in Gauteng, Johannesburg. The man targeted wasn’t even arguing — he was just selling bananas, trying to earn enough for the day. The anger in that moment wasn’t just about him. It was about the hunger, the waiting, the years of broken promises.

And in that moment, like so many others in South Africa, the blame fell not on government policy, not on failed economic reform — but on someone barely surviving. We’ve all heard it: “Foreigners are stealing our jobs.” It’s a popular belief, especially in townships and cities hit hardest by unemployment. But is it true? Let’s look closer.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at 32.1%, one of the highest in the world. For youth aged 15–34, that number jumps above 45%, according to Statistics South Africa (2024).

But here’s the catch: migrants make up a small portion of our workforce — between 4% and 7%, depending on the province (StatsSA Labour Force Survey). Most foreign nationals are concentrated in low-paying, informal sectors like domestic work, agriculture, construction, or spaza shop trade.

The International Organization for Migration further notes that migrants often fill jobs that South Africans do not apply for — either because the wages are too low, or the work conditions too poor. And despite the myth, many migrant-run businesses hire locals and contribute to local economies. So why are we blaming them?

The truth is painful: foreigners didn’t break our job market. Corruption, policy failure, and inequality did.

Since 1994, economic growth has remained uneven, heavily dependent on extractive industries and a shrinking formal job sector. Education doesn’t match market needs, and technical skills training — like in TVET colleges — remains underfunded and underutilized.

At the same time, small businesses, which employ over 60% of the working population, are choked by bureaucracy, crime, lack of capital, and zero protection from predatory pricing. It's not just about foreigners “undercutting” prices — it's about survival in a system that leaves all poor people vulnerable.

And while we fixate on street vendors or cleaners, we often forget the role of exploitative employers, many of whom hire foreign nationals precisely because they can be paid less, with no legal contracts or labour protection. That’s not an immigration issue — it’s a labour enforcement crisis.

So What Do We Do?

Blaming migrants might feel good in the moment — it gives us someone to shout at. But it won’t change our reality. If we truly want to solve the jobs crisis, we need to:

1. Enforce labour laws for all, ensuring fair pay and decent work regardless of nationality. Exploitation helps no one but the employer.
2. Invest in township and rural entrepreneurship. Spaza shops and informal traders aren’t the problem — they’re the future. Let’s fund local food production, agro-processing, and digital services.
3. Rebuild vocational and artisan training. From plumbing to coding, South Africa needs jobs that build dignity, not just university degrees.
4. Stop the political scapegoating. We must hold our leaders accountable when they use xenophobia to distract from their own failures

I won’t pretend I’ve never felt frustrated. I’ve stood in queues, sent out CVs, and waited months with no reply. I know the quiet humiliation of joblessness. But the truth is, the man next to me in that queue — whether he’s South African or Zimbabwean — isn’t my enemy. We’re in the same struggle.

Until we stop punching down and start demanding better — better policy, better governance, better protection — the real culprits will continue walking free, while we fight each other in the dust.

[David Thusi] is a South African writer focused on economic justice, migration, and ethical technology. Through storytelling and analysis, I explore the human side of policy failure — and what it would take to build a fairer society.