A comparative analysis assessing the standard of living of the French community in South Africa between 2013 and 2022.

Abstract

International migration is becoming a vital socioeconomic and demographic feature in our contemporary world as it shapes social cohesion, development trajectories and labour markets in both destination and origin countries. In South Africa, migration presents a dual problem: the country experiences consistent critical skills shortages, while it faces an increase in unemployment rate, emigration intentions among its skilled citizens and recurring xenophobia. Consequently, these generate major negative externalities, such as reduced confidence in migration governance, labour market distortions, capital flight, social fragmentation and uncertainty in development planning. Within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and South Africa National Development Plan (NDP), particularly quality education, decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities and partnerships for goals (SDG 4, 8, 10 and 17 respectively). Understanding the living conditions and socioeconomic contribution of migrants is essential for the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals. The NDP overtly recognises the need to attract migrants with skills to enhance economic competitiveness and address the deficits of human capital. However, the formulation of evidence-based migration policy will be limited due to the insufficient empirical evidence of the socioeconomic and demographic profile of definite migrant communities. The absence of accurate migrants data will spur the risk of migration discourse to be driven by assumptions rather than measurable outcomes, thereby exacerbating skills misallocation, weak integration strategies and xenophobia. Within this context, this study assessed the living standard and satisfaction of the French migrants in South Africa and its potential implications for brain drain or gain dynamics. Four essential research questions were addressed in this study, (1) the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the French migrants in South Africa in 2022, (2) these characteristics provincial variations in south Africa, (3) longitudinal changes between 2013 and 2022 and (4) the comparison between the South African population, French migrants in South Africa, and French population in France.