{"id":837559,"date":"2025-09-21T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=837559"},"modified":"2025-09-19T13:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:47:10","slug":"companies-are-rushing-to-hire-south-africans-with-this-skill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/837559\/companies-are-rushing-to-hire-south-africans-with-this-skill\/","title":{"rendered":"Companies are rushing to hire South Africans with this skill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Companies across South Africa are rushing to hire professionals with skills in artificial intelligence (AI), with demand almost quadrupling since 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest Pnet Job Market Trends Report, demand for AI expertise has surged by 352% since then and continues to accelerate, with a 77% increase year-on-year between the first half of 2024 and the first half of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, compiled by experts in data insights at Pnet, is based on empirical data drawn from Stepstone Group South Africa\u2019s recruitment platforms, which hold a combined database of more than eight million registered users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report clearly showed how AI is reshaping the local job market, redefining roles, and creating demand for new digital skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI is no longer confined to specialist positions. From software developers and data scientists to marketers, financial clerks and content creators, the demand for AI expertise is reshaping career paths across various sectors,\u201d said Anja Bates, Head of Data at Pnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmployers and job seekers who adapt quickly will be best positioned to benefit from the shift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings of the report showed that AI-related job growth is being driven by two categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first is specialist roles, such as machine learning engineers and data scientists, who design and build AI systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second is traditional roles that are evolving to include AI proficiency, such as content creators and marketing professionals, who are increasingly expected to work with tools like ChatGPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past six years, demand for AI-specific jobs has grown by 252%, though growth has slowed to 32% in the last three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These specialist positions include AI software developers, data engineers and machine learning engineers, which remain in high demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand for roles requiring AI skills has also risen steeply, increasing by 488% over the past six years and by 151% over the past three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The skills most sought after by employers include general knowledge of AI tools, proficiency with automation platforms like Zapier, and expertise in generative AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A risk to entry-level jobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bates noted that the rise of AI is not only reshaping existing roles but also changing the opportunities available to workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is encouraging to see that AI seems to be creating job opportunities in South Africa rather than displacing workers,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, young people entering the workforce for the first time and mid-career professionals alike can expect to see the new technology reshape work as dramatically as the web did 20 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that some entry-level roles may be at risk as employers adopt AI solutions. \u201cCertain junior and entry-level roles across various industries, such as administrative assistants and legal assistants, are at risk from displacement by AI.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the positive side, inexperienced workers could benefit from generative AI if it helps them learn faster. As AI adoption in the workplace broadens, junior workers may be able to be more productive and take on greater responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geographically, Gauteng dominates the demand for AI professionals, accounting for 58% of advertised roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Western Cape follows with 24%, while a small but notable share of jobs (about 3%) are advertised for international positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote work opportunities also make up 2% of AI-related listings, suggesting that South Africans with the right skills can tap into both local and global demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cForward-thinking employers and recruiters are building future-proof workforces and attracting top talent by focusing on AI skills when they hire,\u201d said Bates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBusinesses that seek candidates with AI expertise and upskill existing employees are positioning themselves to unlock productivity, innovate faster, and stay ahead in a competitive market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report noted that AI is no longer a niche skill set. It is becoming a core requirement across a wide range of industries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It added that employers who embrace this trend and employees who invest in developing AI capabilities are best placed to thrive in a labour market being rapidly reshaped by technology. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to the latest Pnet Job Market Trends Report, demand for professionals with this skill has surged by 352% since 2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":837573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[20930,5578,853],"class_list":["post-837559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-pnet-job-market-trends-report","tag-skills","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837559"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":837988,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837559\/revisions\/837988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/837573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=837559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=837559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}