These are the most in-demand jobs in South Africa right now

Jobs in architecture and engineering are the most in demand in South Africa despite an evident slowdown in recruitment activity.

This is according to the October 2024 Pnet Job Market Trends Report, which provides monthly insights into the South African recruitment and employment landscape.

The report offers data on hiring activity, trending job roles and sectors, and salary trends across various professions. 

Overall, Pnet said that recruitment has been steadily slowing

Month-on-month local hiring activity was down by -5% from August to September 2024.

Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -6%, compared to September 2023.

The trend for the two-year comparison paints a bleak picture for job-seekers, showing that recruitment activity has decreased by -17% compared to September 2022.

Most in-demand sectors and jobs

Having said that, there are numerous job sectors that are showing budding appetite for recruitment.

From August to September 2024, there was a significant uptake in hiring activity for Architecture & Engineering professionals (+52%).

Year-on-year, hiring activity in this sector also increased by 28%.

Looking at the second most in-demand sector is that of Medical & Health where hiring activity for these professionals has been slowly increasing over the last three months.

In September, recruitment activity for professionals in this sector surged by 54% month-on-month, with a 26% increase year-on-year.

Then is that of the Manufacturing & Assembly sector.

From August to September 2024, demand for Manufacturing & Assembly staff rose significantly by 66%, with a 25% increase in hiring activity year-on-year.

Looking at trending jobs that are showing increased demand for workers and professions, Pnet said that this is seen in:

• Civil/ Structural Engineering;
• Infrastructure/ Operations Consulting;
• Personal Assistant;
• Nursing/ Professional Caregiving; and
• Logistics Management.

Regional job trends

Every month, Pnet takes a close look at the job market trends of three specific regions, with the October 2024 edition looking at international, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal trends.

Looking international, the top in-demand professionals are:

• Business & Management;
• Finance;
• IT; and
• Sales

“International recruitment for Business & Management professionals has increased significantly,” said Pnet.

Year-on-year, there has been +28% growth in international recruitment for Business & Management staff.

Aside from international hiring for Business & Management staff, international recruitment for Finance professionals has also increased significantly over the last year (+38%).

Looking at Mpumalanga, the top in-demand professionals are:

• Sales;
• Business & Management; and
• Manufacturing & Assembly.

“Mpumalanga is seeing a growing demand for Sales professionals, with an uptake in hiring activity for sales roles of +33% over the last 3 months (July, August, September 2024) compared to the previous 3 months (April, May, June 2024),” said Pnet.

Year-on-year, demand for Sales professionals grew by +3% in Mpumalanga.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the most in-demand professionals are:

• Business & Management;
• Finance;
• Admin, Office & Support; and
• Sales.

KwaZulu-Natal “has seen a +15% increase in hiring activity for Business & Management professionals over the last 3 months (July, August, September 2024) compared to the previous 3 months (April, May, June 2024),” said Pnet.

Year-on-year, there has been a 25% increase in recruitment for Business & Management professionals in KwaZulu-Natal.

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