These are the most in-demand job skills in South Africa right now

Hiring activity improved during September, according to the latest CareerJunction Index, while job seeker activity also grew slightly during the month.

The jobs portal recorded a 4% uptick in hiring activity and a marginal 1% increase in those looking for work. As a result, the index is positioned at 103 index points indicating decreased competition in the job search market, the group said.

The CJI represents online labour dynamics in the country by providing a detailed analysis of the relative ratio of supply and demand in the online job market.

It is based on the analysis of data gathered from the CareerJunction website – where around 3,000 of the country’s top recruiters advertise their positions to millions of registered job seekers.

The latest research shows that the following occupational fields are currently the most sought-after skill sets in the local market:

• Software Development: Demand for software development skills remains high in the online job market. As a result, recruitment for developers and programmers can be challenging due to the competition for experienced and senior roles in this field.

• Middle / Department Management: Despite a recent declining trend in demand for middle and department managers, hiring activity for managerial staff is relatively high. Over the last six months, demand for middle and department managers decreased by 17%.

• Representative / Sales Consulting: Recruitment activity for sales consultants peaked during September 2021. Year on year, demand for sales consulting skills increased by 19%.

Trending jobs

CareerJunction said that the following trending jobs indicate positions that have become more popular in the online job market and have seen a recent spike in demand.

Data Analysis / Data Warehousing

Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:

• GP R45,109 to R58,308 p.m.
• WC R41,360 to R59,925
• KZN Not available

Representative / Sales Consulting

Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:

• GP R21,242 to R31,399 p.m.
• WC R17,522 to R27,194
• KZN R13,077 to R19,266

Admin Clerk

Average salary offerings for an intermediate position:

• GP R17,199 to R26,858 p.m.
• WC R13,623 to R20,518
• KZN R13,623 to R20,518

Supply and Demand

An overview of vacancy levels across various sectors provides a good indication of where the majority of employment takes place.

The IT, business & management and finance sectors are undoubtedly the most sought-after sectors, followed by the sales, admin, office & support and architecture & engineering sectors, among others listed.

When looking at active job seekers across various sectors, areas of high supply correlate closely to areas of high demand; however, supply outstrips demand in some areas, leading to a competitive environment for job seekers.

Volatile recruitment conditions are evident for professionals in the admin, office & support, building & construction, sales, manufacturing & assembly, medical & health and warehousing & logistics sectors.

Hiring activity has grown across most sectors with the exception of medical & health where hiring activity decreased by 18% year-on-year.

Activity appears to have stabilised for professionals in the business & management, finance, ICT and marketing sectors over the last three months.

Year on year, recruitment activity grew by 15% in the ICT sector, while professionals in business & management, finance & marketing are experiencing similar employment prospects compared to a year ago.

Read: In-demand jobs in South Africa – the skills companies are looking for right now