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Jobs are in short supply in South Africa, even more so now that we’re dealing with a pandemic, and unless you already have a foot in the door, finding a new one (or your first one) can be tough.

That’s why it’s best to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to prepare for what’s out there so that you can brush up on, or add to, your skillset.

Career Junction recently published its up-to-date jobs index, with some interesting insight into which skills are most in-demand in the country right now.

The Career Junction index looks at labour dynamics across South Africa based on data collected from the Career Junction website.

Let’s break it down, first by which jobs are trending, and what you can expect to earn in three major provinces: Gauteng, Western Cape, and Kwa-Zulu Natal, respectively.

Trending jobs show which positions have become more popular in the online job market, having seen a recent spike in demand in August.

Systems/Network Administration

• GP: R32 929 to R44 761 per month
• WC: R32 598 to R40 455 per month
• KZN: R34 667 to R38 704 per month

Software Development

• GP: R35 397 to R47 223 per month
• WC: R35 828 to R48 328 per month
• KZN: No information available.

Middle/Department Management 

• GP: R50 303 to R61 943 per month
• WC: R44 356 to R54 574 per month
• KZN: R42 755 to R53 578 per month

In January this year, software development, middle/department management, and sales consulting were the most sought-after jobs in the country.

Middle/department management appears to be the only consistently sought after position over the course of 2020.

The following graph breaks down vacancy levels across various sectors, providing a look at where the majority of employment takes place:

Image: CareerJunction

If we look at active job seekers across various sectors, areas of high supply correlate, for the most part, with areas of high demand, which means that you could be facing some stiff competition in your field:

Image: CareerJunction

Compared to the same time last year, demand has diminished across most sectors, since the onset of the national lockdown. Most sectors picked up a little in August, in line with the easing of restrictions, but recruitment activity is still moving along at a slow pace.

If you’re on the hunt for a job, good luck.

Let’s hope that over the course of the next few months, things will turn around.

[source:careerjunction]