These 73 jobs will see faster recovery and high demand in post-Covid South Africa
The Department of Higher Education has published the full list of high-demand occupations in South Africa, which includes a deeper assessment of the positions that will likely see a faster and slower recovery from Covid-19.
The list – which is reviewed every two years – highlights the occupations that show relatively strong employment growth and/or are experiencing shortages in the labour market, or which are expected to be in demand in future.
“The processes to identify high demand occupations would be incomplete without taking into account the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the department said.
“As is well known, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the South African economy. Besides its overall economic shock, the pandemic is likely to change the composition of the South African economy fundamentally.
This means that strong industries might struggle, while previously weaker industries might thrive, it said.
“Exactly how this will happen is still highly uncertain, and there is not enough certainty to remove or add any occupations purely based on the potential changes the pandemic might bring about. As a result, the development of the list drew on cases in which industry representatives specifically argued for an occupation’s inclusion or exclusion based on Covid-19 considerations.”
As many as 345 occupations have been listed by the department, with 195 highlighted as being more likely to face a slow recovery and lower demand in a post-Covid-19 South Africa, and 73 jobs showing higher demand and a faster recovery.
The department said that while the list shows in-demand occupations, it is not intended to signal shortages, and it is not intended to be used to inform the recruitment of critically skilled foreign nationals.
These are the jobs highlighted by the department as showing a faster recovery, and stronger demand in the future:
| High demand, fast recovery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural farm manager | Developer Programmer | Nanny |
| Aged or disabled carer | Diver | Network Analyst |
| Agricultural Engineer | Family day care worker | Nurse educator |
| Agricultural Engineering Technologist | Fire Fighter | Out of school hours care worker |
| Agricultural mobile plant (equipment) operator | Food and beverage scientist | Programmer Analyst |
| Agricultural scientist | Forestry operations supervisor | Registered Nurse (Child and Family Health) |
| Agriculture consultant | General medical practitioner | Registered Nurse (Community Health) |
| Airborne electronics analyst | Geographic Information Systems Technicians | Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) |
| Application Development Manager | Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | Registered Nurse (Medical Practice) |
| Applications Programmer | Horticultural farmer | Registered Nurse (Medical) |
| Biotechnologist | Hospital pharmacist | Registered Nurse (Mental Health) |
| Chief Information Officer | ICT Communications Assistant | Registered Nurse (Surgical) |
| Child Care Worker | ICT Project Manager | Residential care officer |
| Child or youth residential care assistant | ICT Security Specialist | Retail pharmacist |
| Coding Clerk | ICT Systems Analyst | Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Practitioner |
| Community healthcare worker (CHW) | Industrial pharmacist | Software Developer |
| Computer Network and Systems Engineer | Information Services Manager | Systems Administrator |
| Computer Network Technician | Information Systems Director | Tobacco Grader |
| Computers Quality Assurance Analyst | Information Technology Manager | Tree feller |
| Cotton Grader | Life science technician | Web Designer |
| Crop Produce Analyst | Marine biologist | Web Developer |
| Data entry operator | Marine GIS Technician | Wine Maker |
| Data Management Manager | Mixed crop and livestock farmer | Wool Classer / Grader |
| Data Scientist | Multimedia Designer | |
| Database Designer and Administrator | Multimedia Specialist | |
Read: Gauteng is setting aside R1.3 billion for jobs – here’s where it is going
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