SA's most in-demand skill sets

CareerJunction recently published their CJI Executive Summary which explores the latest labour market trends in South Africa. The report reveals which skills are at the top of recruiters' most wanted list, what jobs are currently trending and what salaries are on offer for these positions across SA's top three provinces.

Although March was a relatively quiet month, with no major changes in job volumes and job seeker activity overall, there were some sectors that saw notable changes.

Weakening demand

Like the marketing, sales and admin, office and support sectors, where professionals face increased competition for jobs because of weakening demand for candidates. Hiring activity has slowed down considerably in these sectors year-on-year while application rates increased by 25%, 76% and 69% respectively.

SA's most in-demand skill sets

Growing demand

It’s not all bad news for job seekers though as many sectors experienced an uptake in jobs resulting in improved employment prospects. These include the architecture & engineering, manufacturing and assembly, building and construction and finance sectors where demand for skills has increased by between 24% and 36% since January 2018.

SA's most in-demand skill sets

Top sectors and skill sets

When looking at the total number of jobs per sector, sectors that fall right at the top of the demand list include the medical & health, IT, architecture & engineering, building and construction and business and management sectors. Vacancies are plentiful for job seekers looking for employment opportunities within these sectors.

Taking a closer look at more specific skill sets, software development, middle and department management and financial/project accounting are by far the most in-demand skill sets in the job market currently. Particularly software development, which remains the most sought-after skill set on CareerJunction. are at the top of this list. Despite the high demand for financial/project accounting skills, the job market remains competitive for job seekers in this field.

SA's most in-demand skill sets

Trending jobs

Occupations that have seen a recent spike in job volumes include financial analysis, cost and management accounting and human resources. These seem to be hot skills on the job market right now. Below is a breakdown of salaries for these skill sets across SA’s top three provinces:

    Financial Analysis

    Average salary offerings for intermediate level positions:
    GP: R 39,162 to R 48,900 p.m. (CTC)
    WC: R 32,667 to R 44,708 p.m. (CTC)
    KZN: Not enough information available.

    Cost & Management Accounting

    Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:
    GP: R 43,352 to R 54,746 p.m. (CTC)
    WC: R 33,453 to R 39,061 p.m. (CTC)
    KZN: R 37,000 to R 39,132 p.m. (CTC)

    Human Resources

    Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:
    GP: R 24,773 to R 26,568 p.m. (CTC)
    WC: R 18,623 to R 23,364 p.m. (CTC)

    KZN: R 17,125 to R 18,917 p.m. (CTC)

For more labour market trends, read the full report here.

CareerJunction
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