Jobs portal CareerJunction has published its Employment Insights for August 2022, highlighting the job skills that are most in-demand in South Africa right now.
The report is based on comprehensive data gathered from Saongroup South Africa – where around 5,000 of the country’s top recruiters advertise their positions to millions of registered jobseekers.
According to the index, job hiring activity continued to climb in August, trending far higher than levels seen a year ago.
In-demand jobs
CareerJunction pointed to increasing hiring activity in the finance, business management and IT sectors. In each sector, several roles have been advertised more frequently:
Finance +9%
- Financial or Project Accounting
- Payroll and Wages
- Accounts Payable or Receivable
- Credit Management
- Cost and Management Accounting
- Purchasing and Procurement
- Bookkeeping
- Financial Analysis
- Internal Auditing
Information Technology +8%
- Software Development
- Systems Analysis
- Technical or Business Architecture
- IT Project Administration or Management
- Database Design or Development or Administration
- Data Analysis or Data Warehousing
- Business Analysis
- Systems or Network Administration
Business and Management +5%
- Middle or Department Management
- Business Development
- Staff Recruitment or Selection
- Executive Management or Director
- Infrastructure or Operations Consulting
- Team Leader and Supervisor
- Senior Management
The group said there has not been any significant decline in hiring activity for any of the sectors it assesses. However, it noted an uptick in candidates applying for jobs coming from the design, media and arts sectors, as well as those from the education and health fields.
“There was an increased need for medical workers during 2020 as a result of Covid. Most provinces show reduced recruitment activity for medical staff since the end of the pandemic,” the group said.
Most of the hiring activity is taking place in Gauteng (54%), it said, followed by the Western Cape (21%) and KwaZulu Natal (11%). Notably, hiring activity from international markets remains at 3%.
Gauteng and the Western Cape have a notable increase in hiring activity for the manufacturing and assembly sector – although this is declining in KZN. The Western Cape is also seeing increased demand for warehousing and logistics candidates.
Architecture and Engineering
The jobs portal noted significant growth in job opportunities in the architecture and engineering sectors of South Africa.
Most of the hiring activity for these sectors is taking place in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal, with employers seeking candidates with tertiary education (diploma or higher).
Scarce skills in this sector include:
- Agricultural Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Civil / Structural Engineering
Select market-related salaries on offer for top in-demand skills include:
- Mechanical Engineer – R45,319 to R60,304
- Electrical Engineer – R37,526 to R47,778
- Industrial Engineer – R26,351 to R34,864
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