Good news for job seekers in South Africa – these are the most in-demand skills right now
Following a significant decrease in recruitment during September, new data from the jobs portal CareerJunction shows that overall hiring activity is increasing in South Africa, with some jobs in hot demand right now.
The jobs portal’s latest Industry Report shows that compared to the year before, October 2023 marked a notable 6% increase in hiring, while activity was up by another 7% compared to September 2023.
According to the group, this increase was driven by a moderate uptake in hiring activity for the Admin, Office & Support as well as IT and Finance sectors.
The report offers an in-depth analysis of the online employment market in South Africa, focusing on the supply and demand for various occupations.
The data for the report was gathered from 5,000 of the country’s largest recruiters, agencies, and employers who advertise job positions on the CareerJunction portal.
Although hiring activity increased for Admin, Office & Support, and IT professionals over the past month, hiring slowed down over the last three months. The Business & Management sector also saw a three-month decline in recruitment, said CareerJunction.
On the other hand, slight improvements in hiring activity were evident in the Architecture & Engineering, Cleaning, Maintenance & Repair and Marketing sectors over the last three months, it added.
When comparing hiring activity over the last three months (August, September, October 2023) with the previous three months (May, June, July 2023), there is an uptake in recruitment for Architecture & Engineering as well as Cleaning, Maintenance & Repair and Marketing professionals:
Architecture & Engineering (+8%)
- Civil / Structural Engineering
Cleaning, Maintenance & Repair (+5%)
- Vehicle & Mobile Equipment Installation / Repair
Marketing (+4%)
- Brand Management
The data further showed that the Admin, Office & Support, Information Technology, and Business & Management sectors have seen the biggest decline in hiring activity over the past three months.
Admin, office & support (-9%)
- Teller/ cashier
Information technology (-6%)
- Software Development; and
- Business Analysis
Business & Management (-4%)
- Middle / Department Management;
- Executive Management / Director; and
- Staff Recruitment / Selection
Regional differences
CareerJunction also reported that recruitment per province in South Africa remained static.
The group said that Gauteng still offers the majority of South Africa’s job opportunities (52%) as the economic hub of the country, despite a decline of 2%.
The following 33% of job offers are in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal combined. The Western Cape has the second largest percentage at 22%.
Across the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, demand for Building & Construction professionals went up consistently from August to October 2021 and August to October 2023.
This sector has seen a significant increase in hiring activity year-on-year (2022 to 2023).
CareerJunction noted that Gauteng has seen an increase of 41%, while KwaZulu-Natal has seen an increase of 70%, and the Western Cape has seen an increase of 98%.
Other notable points where that demand for Architecture & Engineering has also increased across all three provinces year-on-year, while the Gauteng and KZN saw a notable increase in Manufacturing & Assembly
Marketing
CareerJunction further highlighted that significant job opportunity growth has been observed in marketing, mostly in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Some market-related salaries applicants can expect in the field include:
- SEO Specialist – (R17,977 to R22,443 per month)
- Digital Marketing Manager – (R38,014 to R55,115 per month)
- Recruitment Consultant – (R15,275 to R21,523 per month)
Read: New court ruling a huge win for parental leave in South Africa
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