South African companies sound the alarm
The Xpatweb Critical Skills survey shows that South African companies are still struggling to find the necessary skills they need inside the country, and are increasingly turning to international hires to get the job done.
The skills survey report was based on responses from 381 employers, including JSE-listed companies and international groups operating in South Africa.
The survey is recognised as the most comprehensive of its kind among verified employers, and the 2025 iteration is Xpatweb’s biggest survey to date.
According to the group, 84% of large corporations and multinationals reported challenges in sourcing highly skilled talent in South Africa over the past year, up from 79% in 2023.
In addition to this rise in demand for critical skills, the severity of shortages is deepening in the most sought-after roles, particularly in engineering and ICT, the group said.
The 10 most difficult roles to fill remain largely unchanged from 2024. Occupations such as engineers, ICT specialists, artisans, financial professionals and foreign language speakers continue to dominate the list.
Unfortunately for local employers, not only are there issues with finding necessary talent locally, but there are also problems with trying to source skills from across the pond.
While 84% of survey respondents indicated turning to international recruitment to meet business needs, 77% cited difficulties with work visa processes.
An overwhelming 89% of employers said that unfilled critical skills roles are negatively affecting operations, from lost productivity and delayed projects to missed growth opportunities.
While over 80% say international searches would help, the immigration system still causes bottlenecks.
Delays at South African embassies or VFS centres, and professional registration requirements are frequently cited as problematic.
South Africa has a process for getting skilled individuals into the country if their specialisation falls on the Critical Skills list. However, the list only covers about 82% of the skills needed by companies.
The list underpins the Critical Skills Work Visa system, which is instrumental in streamlining and expediting the process for companies to recruit qualified foreign workers to South Africa.
“It is therefore crucial that the list accurately reflects the current skills gaps experienced by businesses,” said Xpatweb.
The group said that it is important that the list is updated regularly, and called on the government departments responsible—including the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA)—to help better shape the list.
The critical skills list was updated for the first time since 2014 in February 2022, with 39 more occupations added in August 2022. The list got a final update in October 2023.
According to Xpatweb, the next revision of the list is expected in 2026 and will again draw on data from the group’s latest survey.
The critical skills South Africa needs
Xpatweb’s survey shows that demand for executive leadership roles declined slightly in 2025, but shortages in technical and digital fields have intensified sharply.
“This reflects both domestic capacity constraints and broader global trends,” it said.
The deepening crunch is evident: nine out of the top ten critical areas showed increases of between 2 and 15 percentage points year-on-year.
The group outlined the biggest need areas:
Engineers
Among the most alarming increases is in engineering.
In 2024, almost 23% of respondents struggled to find engineers, ranging from maintenance and industrial engineers to mechanical engineering technicians and electrical engineering technologists.
In 2025, that figure has surged to 38%, marking a dramatic rise from 2018, when only 14% reported difficulty in attracting engineering talent.
ICT Specialists
Currently, 22% of survey participants have a shortage of ICT specialists, up from 14% in 2024 and just 10% two years ago.
The most in-demand ICT roles include data analysts, data scientists, software engineers, and IT engineers.
Skills like AI, big data, cybersecurity, and digital literacy are seen globally as the fastest-growing skill areas over the next five years—and South Africa’s skills shortages mirror global shifts, Xpatweb said.
Artisans
Artisan roles saw one of the steepest year-on-year increases. In 2024, 10% of companies struggled to hire artisans; in 2025, that figure had risen to 22%.
The most sought-after trades include electricians, millwrights, automation specialists, and instrumentation specialist artisans.
There has been a concerted push by the government to direct school leavers into artisanal fields.
Healthcare Professionals
The demand for healthcare professionals is also on the rise.
Registered nurses are especially hard to recruit, alongside a wide range of medical specialists, including public health experts, emergency medicine doctors, anaesthetists, and cardiothoracic specialists.
Healthcare professionals are in high demand globally, and South Africa’s pursuit of the National Health Insurance scheme has been a notable push factor.
Media and Other Pain Points
Shortages are also growing in professional categories such as:
- Senior financial executives
- Media and marketing professionals (including brand managers, creative designers, media strategists, and digital analysts)
- Foreign language speakers, particularly those fluent in French (16%), German (15%) and to a lesser extent Spanish and Mandarin (10%)
- Science professionals are also becoming harder to find, including food scientists and actuarial scientists
Xpatweb said that South Africa and companies operating within its borders need to face the reality that their search for skills is happening in an incredibly competitive and globally mobile market.
“Businesses must adopt a proactive approach to immigration to secure the talent that drives innovation and success,” it said.
“For South Africa, the ability to attract, integrate, and retain mobile professionals from abroad remains critical to sustaining economic competitiveness and long-term development.”
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