Sanchia Temkin
9 April 2008
Johannesburg — WHITE professional males are still clinching top jobs and in certain sectors account for the majority of candidates placed by headhunters, par-ticularly at senior management level, says Debbie Goodman-Bhyat MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters.
Goodman-Bhyat said this week that 51% of all candidates successfully placed by the consultancy last year were white males and that this percentage reflected almost no variation relative to 2006 figures.
"In total, white candidates -- both male and female -- accounted for 69% of all our placements, with the remaining 31% being employment equity appointments," Goodman-Bhyat said.
She said although companies were pushing harder to secure employment equity candidates, the reality of SA's skills deficit was forcing most employers to prioritise experience and skill over employment equity factors.
Access to senior and middle management posts by black South Africans has come a long way since 1994, but is being stalled by difficulties in finding experienced candidates and the general skills shortage plaguing the country, according to a recent report issued by human resources consul- tancy PE Corporate Services.
The report found that just under 25% of senior management posts were held by black executives. While this compares favourably with less than 5% in 1994, the penetration level has shown a minimal increase in the past three years.
"One would assume that with the continued emphasis on transformation both race and gender specific appointments would receive substantial focus from employers," Goodman-Bhyat said. "However, last year we received many employment equity mandates from our clients, but none specified gender," she said.
"Perhaps this might reflect progress in terms of a diminishing gender bias, but with women accounting for just 30% of Jack Hammer's executive level placement, the reality is that there is still a substantial disparity."
She warned, however, that although this figure was low, it should be seen in context. "Historically, we have found women to be generally more risk-averse than men, with a greater need for job stability. This means they are often less open to the idea of being headhunted or changing jobs when they are not actively looking."
Goodman-Bhyat said there were job market changes that would have an effect on women and their career paths. For instance, some companies are offering "work-life balance" solutions that appeal to women, including flexitime, work from home options and improved maternity benefits.
"Combined with the fact that women are increasingly becoming breadwinners in their families, we expect to see the proportion of our female placements increase substantially during the next several years," Goodman-Bhyat said.
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