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

Recent data from Pnet shows that job market activity decreased by 11% during the final quarter of last year; however, compared to the year before, overall employment offers increased by 6%.

“It is encouraging to see that from Q4:2020 to Q4:2022, there has been a 30% growth in jobs,” reported the latest Pnet Jobmarket Employment Trends Report for Q4 2022.

The report offers insight into the South African job market, including recruitment and employment trends. Information is sourced from Saongroup’s online recruitment platforms, which have a collective database of 8 million registered users.

“With the recent publication of matric results, South Africa’s latest school leavers are considering fundamental life decisions about either entering the world of work or acquiring tertiary education,” said Pnet.

Sobering statistics that confirm roughly 6 out of 10 young professionals as unemployed highlight the importance of making the right decisions before entering the workplace – to ensure in-demand sectors are fulfilled.

Pnet’s latest research shows the five occupational sectors in highest demand are Business & Management, IT, Finance, Sales and Admin Office & Support.

“Looking at young jobseeker trends, it is evident that 15- to 24-year-old applicants are actually aligned to the overall demand trend. The top occupational job sectors attracting the majority of young professionals are currently Admin, Office & Support, Finance, Sales, Business & Management and IT,” Pnet said.

Pnet said these jobs in the following sectors are currently in the most demand:

Business and management

• Middle/ department management
• Senior management
• Team leader and supervisor
• Business development
• Executive management/ director

Information technology

• Software development
• Systems/ network administration
• Data analysis/ data warehousing
• Business analysis

Finance

• Financial/ project accounting
• Bookkeeping
• Accounts payable/ receivable
• Purchasing and procurement
• Cost and management accounting
• Internal auditing

Sales

• Representative/sales consulting
• Account management
• Retail

Admin, office and support

• Admin clerk
• Human resources
• Client/ customer support

Pnet reported these as the top occupational sectors young jobseekers apply for:

Admin, office and support

• Admin clerk
• Switchboard/ reception
• Client/ customer support
• Personal assistant
• Human resources

Finance

• Accounts payable/ receivable
• Bookkeeping
• Financial/ project accounting

Sales

• Representative/ sales consulting

Business and management

• Middle/ department management

Information Technology

• Systems/ network administration

The graphic below illustrates further regional labour demand insights in more detail:

Pnet said that Gauteng continues to be the main employment hub in South Africa.

“In the fourth quarter of 2022, the province represented 54% of all overall labour demand in the country,” said Pnet. 22% of recruitment activity was driven by the Western Cape and a further 10% by the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The sectors that offered the most employment opportunities during this period, across all provinces, were Business & Management, IT, Finance and Sales, Pnet said.

Salaries

Pnet provided a breakdown of what salaries one can expect in certain job sectors across South Africa, including Building & Construction, Design, Media & Arts and the Marketing sector.

Building and construction

• Construction project manager (R35,200 to R55,100)
• Quantity surveyor (R32,400 to R45,700)
• Site supervisor (R13,500 to R20,100)

Design, media and arts

• Web designer (R26,300 to R37,800)
• Product designer (R22,600 to R28,800)
• Graphic designer (R19,700 to R23,300)

Marketing

• Digital marketing manager (R38,300 to R49,600)
• Digital market specialist (R27,600 to R37,500)
• Marketing coordinator (R18,000 to R21,400)

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