Friday, March 4, 2011

Expat payrolls - a corporate headache


Managing international payrolls is highly complex and resource intensive activity, but vital to your company’s operations. The outsource services offered to companies employing expatriates extend from payroll services and tax compliance through to relocation management, medical insurance, psychological support and final repatriation support. Experts in providing these services can save you time, expense and frustration whether for one employee or hundreds. 

Payroll service solutions usually include managing expatriate accounts payables, multi-country tax compliance, accounting, treasury, and information management and reporting.

Outsourcing your expat payroll to a specialist may include selected payroll activities or a full suite of integrated expatriate payroll services. The main benefits are: 

Control over expatriate payroll and reduced overall costs
Payments into the employees selected bank accounts
Legal and tax compliance in both the home and host countries
Accuracy and reliability of on-time payments in any currency
Remittance of all necessary taxes to the appropriate tax authorities
Strong controls and transparency of information


Additional Support Services 

Assistance to employers with other regulatory issues and compliance with local laws is a natural extension of the payroll services. Some of the more useful services are:

Design and implementation of remuneration policies including base pay, benefits and bonus structures
Preparation of contracts of employment
Management of the employer's obligations relating to industrial relations
Assistance in processing passports, visas and work permits
Employee medical insurance and health and safety support

Both international companies and their key staff and expatriate workers can benefit financially by outsourcing their international payroll services.  This complex and time-consuming process can be handed to specialists to manage so that you can focus on your core business.

Keen to work in investment banking in Africa?

Keen to work in Investment Banking in Africa?

Many of the top investment banks are expanding into Africa.  The principal purpose of an investment bank (and of investment banking in general) is the underwriting of new securities issued by an investment bank's clients. An investment bank may also provide other services, such as professional advice, working with mergers & acquisitions, and private wealth management.  Unlike commercial banks and retail banks, investment banks do not normally take deposits.

The most well-known global investment banks are Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley.  Other investment banks are regionally oriented or situated in the mid-size market, or are small, specialized firms called boutiques which might be oriented toward a specific niche.

There are two main lines of business in investment banking. Trading securities for cash or for other securities is known as the "sell side", while dealing with pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, and the investing public (who consume the products and services of the sell-side in order to maximize their return on investment) constitutes the "buy side". Many firms have buy and sell side components.

These firms have lots of different areas and groups within them, some roles are specific to the function of investment banking and some are support roles found in all companies. The support roles such as human resources, legal, marketing, investor relations and information technology are also needed in investment banking. 

Departments specific to this industry that require definite skills are: 
Corporate Finance / Private Equity
Securities and Trading  
Treasury
Compliance
Financial Management
Investment Research
Merchant Banking

An investment banker’s job description may cover many different areas, especially within developing markets in Africa. Most investment bankers start at the bottom, working as financial analysts or some other entry-level position for at least three to five years.

Most aspiring investment bankers will have a degree in a finance related field, such as economics, marketing or accounting and maybe an MBA. The skills and attributes most sought after are:
Advanced financial analysis capabilities and computer skills
Ability to research and prepare proposals on prospective business deals
Up to date knowledge of current financial events and news within the region
Adaptability to new cultures and different business methods
Well developed inter-personal skills and ability to persuade
Foreign language skills especially French and/or Portuguese 
In investment banking expect to work very long hours and take on extra responsibilities in order to get on the path to success.

West Africa – the growth region for mineral resources (Gold, Iron Ore and Diamonds)

Gold Mining

Canadian, South African and Australian based gold mining companies are increasingly moving their exploration budget in to West Africa and not only to the countries where they have been present historically. Additional monies are being allocated to projects in Ghana and Guinea as well as on new potential deposits in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. Many of the traditional mining houses are acquiring junior miners in West Africa. In some cases, however, these newly structured companies are required to proceed only if they enter into some type of partnership with the Government.

One of the well-known mining commentators at the Paydirt Gold Conference held in Perth, Australia in late 2010, Rick Yeates, explained why he thought the future of gold mining is on the up and up. “The element of risk in West Africa today is relatively low,” said Rick. He explained that the historical problems of instability are those that people remember, without really understanding that many of these issues have been resolved and that the countries have evolved. Australia was slow to recognize changes, while the Canadian and British investors were more receptive. The British are perfectly comfortable with West Africa. Yeates said a number of major mining companies were burned by their early involvement in West Africa but they are now back in force.

Diamonds Mining

Diamond mining is alive and well in Sierra Leone. Diamond exports rose 28 percent in 2010 to 109 million dollars (80 million euros) over 2009 showing real recovery after being hit by the global recession. Diamond licence holders continue to invest in the mineral-rich country, which has worked hard to clean up its diamond industry after illegal trading of conflict-funding “blood diamonds” fuelled a decade-long civil war which ended in 2002.

Iron Ore Mining

Rising iron ore prices driven by surging demand for steel in China have encouraged mining companies to search for new deposits in under-explored regions in Central and West Africa. BHP Billiton has recently signed a US 3 billion dollar deal with Liberia for a major project to develop iron ore mines. The company is the latest in a series of exploration companies that have concluded agreements to mine for iron ore in West Africa – sometimes regarded as a politically unstable region. However it is home to some of the world’s last large undeveloped mineral deposits which is making it extremely attractive to miners with deep pockets.