South Africa Wanted Migrants Out. Now Employers Say Their Departure Is Creating a Worker Shortage

South Africa‘s growing campaign against undocumented migrants is producing an unexpected challenge, with employers warning that the departure of thousands of foreign workers is leaving critical sectors struggling to find enough people to fill the jobs they have left behind.

The labour shortage is being felt most strongly in agriculture, manufacturing and domestic work, with farmers in some of the country’s major fruit and sugar-producing regions warning that the loss of migrant workers could threaten production and upcoming harvests.

Some agricultural employers claim they have lost as much as 80% of their workforce following the departure of foreign workers, many of whom had spent years gaining experience in physically demanding jobs that are now proving difficult to fill.

The situation has exposed a difficult question at the centre of South Africa’s immigration debate: if undocumented migrants are removed or leave because they no longer feel safe, who will take over the jobs they were doing?

For employers in the agricultural sector, the answer is not as straightforward as simply replacing foreign workers with South Africans.

They argue that many of the migrants who have left possessed years of experience in farming, factory work and other labour-intensive occupations. Finding replacements, training them and ensuring that production continues without interruption could take time, particularly in industries that depend on large numbers of workers during specific harvesting seasons.

Trade unions, however, reject the argument that South Africa simply does not have enough people willing to work.

They say the country has millions of unemployed citizens who could fill many of these positions, but argue that employers have often preferred foreign workers because some are willing to accept lower wages and difficult working conditions and may be less likely to demand formal contracts, benefits or stronger labour protections.

The debate has therefore shifted from simply asking whether migrants are taking jobs from South Africans to a more complicated question about the type of jobs available and the conditions attached to them.

The South African government has continued to promote a “locals first” approach to employment, insisting that South Africans should have priority in the labour market. At the same time, authorities acknowledge that some industries continue to rely heavily on foreign workers, particularly in areas where employers struggle to recruit enough local labour.

The agricultural sector is now calling for a more structured solution. Industry stakeholders want the government to establish a formal seasonal worker permit system that would allow workers from other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to enter South Africa legally for specific periods and return home after completing their work.

Supporters of the proposal argue that such a system could provide farmers with a reliable workforce while allowing the government to monitor immigration and ensure that foreign workers have legal status.

It could also offer a middle ground between two competing demands: the government’s push to prioritize South Africans for employment and the reality that some industries depend on migrant labour to maintain production.

Meanwhile, many of the foreign workers who have already left South Africa say their decision was not driven by employment opportunities elsewhere but by fear for their safety.

The recent rise in anti-immigrant protests, threats and attacks, combined with intensified operations targeting undocumented migrants, has made many foreign nationals increasingly uncomfortable about remaining in the country.

The exodus has now created an economic dilemma for South Africa. While the government faces pressure to protect jobs for its citizens and enforce immigration laws, employers in key industries are warning that removing or losing migrant workers without a replacement system could disrupt businesses, reduce production and put some harvests at risk.

For a country battling high unemployment while simultaneously relying on migrant labour in several sectors, the debate is becoming increasingly difficult to separate from the wider question of how South Africa’s economy actually functions.

The challenge facing the government may no longer be simply how to reduce undocumented migration, but how to balance immigration enforcement, protection of local workers and the country’s continuing need for labour.