Why US Employers Want South African Workers, with Marinus Ferreira

Too much work, not enough people. That is how Marinus Ferreira sums up the American job market, and why a staffing career that started in Secunda now places South Africans in jobs across the US. In this episode of Winning the Away Game, Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe talk to Marinus about a career that runs from building sites in Israel and the bars of London to Sasol shutdowns, the Middle East and, since 2022, Texas. He explains why South African work ethic is an easy sell to US employers, how he filled a 150-person shutdown in Houston on his own, why recruiting in the US comes down to poaching, and how a training programme inside prisons could change lives. ABOUT MARINUS Marinus Ferreira grew up in Secunda and began his career in accounting and the commercial side of South Africa's industrial economy. He spent more than four years placing people into work in the UK before building a staffing career across major industrial projects in South Africa, the Middle East, Bermuda and the United States. Today he is founder and CEO of TUSA Inc. in Texas and Managing Director of the Southside Group. His work spans industrial staffing, executive search, business transactions and New Beginnings, a TUSA initiative that helps formerly incarcerated people return to stable employment. IN THIS EPISODE Why South Africans earned 10 shekels an hour more on Israeli building sites The radio line that made him quit Sasol for London Running petrochemical shutdowns with 6,000 to 10,000 extra workers How COVID made the business more money, and the 100% bonus that followed Moving the family to Texas with eight suitcases 150 ordered, 143 delivered: the Houston job that made his name in the US How poaching drives US recruiting New Beginnings: the plan to teach trades inside prisons 300+ placements, and only three or four that did not work out CHAPTERS 0:00 Houston: too much work, not enough people 0:50 Welcome: meet Marinus Ferreira 2:17 Favourite Springbok memory 3:10 Growing up in Secunda 4:43 First taste of the world: Israel 7:06 From Sasol to London 12:20 Going it alone: labour-broking 14:44 The shutdown business 16:10 The Middle East 16:31 COVID 18:14 Making it in the US 22:41 Family 25:29 Starting again in Houston 29:02 New Beginnings 31:08 A new talent pipeline 40:26 What's next 43:55 Wrap-up Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2un... Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast... Connect with Justinus:  / justinusadriaanse   Connect with Flip:  / flipvandermerwe   Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn:   / winning-the-away-game-podcast   Instagram:   / wtag_podcast   TikTok:   / wtag_podcast   Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn:   / %f0%9f%8e%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095   Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/