South Africa has always had an ever-growing economy with the position of the most industrialized economy and a thriving career environment. Despite the impact of COVID-19 on the corporate space and opportunities available to people, South Africa as a nation has continued to create more job roles since 2021.
However, some job roles have been proven to be in more demand than others. Research has shown that certain career fields have had more demands and job openings in them in the past 2 years and will likely grow. For instance, the Finance, IT/Software Engineering and Business fields have had an increase of 9%, 8%, and 5% respectively in the past months. So, with this article, you will discover the career fields that employers are always in demand of and also job roles that recruiters are constantly looking to fill. If you want to choose a career path based on its demand, reading this will help you through it.
A career is a profession someone engages in during his life. The profession could be one job or multiple related jobs. Building a career does not just depend on one’s educational background. The skills, experiences, and training a person receives can eventually affect the career path he takes. A career basically uses one's skills, talents and experiences to provide long-term fulfilment and a sense of purpose.
It’s common for people to be undecided about the career path to take. A lot of factors can affect your career choice. Location, satisfaction, sense of purpose and fulfilment, passion, skills and competencies are some factors that affect people’s career choices. But, making this decision early affects your chances of having a fulfilling career.
South Africa has played a major role in the African and global tech market for years. It is no surprise that one of the top careers in demand is IT/Software Engineering. Software engineers are professionals that are responsible for designing, developing and maintaining software solutions. Due to the nature of their skill and field, they are always relevant in most other career fields. A software engineer can start off his career as an intern, and end up becoming a CTO (Chief Technology Officer) after years of experience and work.
In software engineering, there are lots of interesting job roles to explore. In South Africa currently, there are several software engineering vacancies in line with these roles. Roles like full-stack developer, front-end developer, back-end developer, UI/UX designer, product manager, and DevOps engineer are all job roles that can be gotten in the field of software engineering.
Some of the skills required in software engineering include
Knowledge of Programming languages like JavaScript, Python, C/C++, Cascading styles sheets (CSS) and Ruby.
Software Testing
Object-oriented Design (OOD)
Source Control
Debugging Knowledge
Text Editing Software
A skilled and experienced software engineer can earn up to R 600 000 annually in South Africa.
There will always be a demand for sales and marketing professionals because what drives a company is sales. Once an organization can market its products well and sell, they are sure to be in business. Sales and marketing abilities have become invaluable in the market. Organizations always require the services of professionals who can study the demography of their target audience and convert them to customers. This puts this career as one of the highly demanded careers in South Africa. Companies and establishments are always putting out openings for sales/marketing personnels. Sales/marketing is a broad career field that offers opportunities in different roles like retail sales associate, telemarketer, chief marketing specialist, sales and marketing manager, sales representative, junior sales consultant, etc.
To build a career in Sales/Marketing, the person will have to be skilled in
Product knowledge
Policy knowledge
Lead Qualification
Customer Needs Analysis
Referral Marketing
Contract Negotiation
Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
CRM Software (Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, Freshsales)
While some sales/marketing professionals are usually rewarded based on commissions, a sales/marketing personnel earns R 350 000 on average annually.
Managing customers is one of the demands of running an organization. Having skilled and experienced customer service personnel is, therefore, a need in many organizations. A customer service personnel is a professional that liaises between a business and a customer/client. The responsibility is to represent the firm properly before the customer, while also ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the firm's product/services. A customer service personnel serves as the corporate face of the organization and anyone taking up a customer service job must understand how to relate with people. Some of the most popular customer service roles include customer service representative, call centre representative, social media customer care specialist, customer service manager, etc.
Skills required for the customer service field are:
Point of Sale (POS)
Data Entry
Computer Skills
Outbound Call Skills
Product Knowledge
Microsoft Office Suite
Cross-Selling/Up-Selling
The average salary of a customer service representative is about R 250 000 yearly.
Businesses always require their finances to be handled and checked. The finance career field requires a lot of things, both internally and externally. The finance field is responsible for handling every financial transaction, decision and policy of an organization. Organizations constantly have openings for finance professionals to ensure the transparency of their finances. There are different job roles in the finance field such as Financial Accounting, Payroll and Wages, Cost and Management Accounting, Financial Analyst, etc.
Some of the skills needed in the finance sector are
Accounting Skills
Financial Modeling
Accounting Software
Project Financing Skills
Corporate Finance
Business Valuation
MS Excel Skills
The average salary of professionals in the finance sector is about R 555 000.
Skilled engineers are always needed and sought after in South Africa because of the country’s growing economy, especially within the infrastructure and environmental sectors. Essentially, engineering is the application of math and science to build, produce or manufacture anything. As a field, it has many specialization areas, with the most common being civil, electrical, aviation and mechanical engineering. There are also technologists and technicians in the field of engineering. Generally, vacancies for engineers require skilled and trained individuals, especially one who has a knowledge of math and science to fill them.
Skills that an engineer needs include:
Math
Mechanical skills
Project management
Prototyping
Machine Learning
Workflow development
Web Development
Computer skills
Knowledge of manufacturing processes
Knowledge of applicable laws
Technical documentation
PHP
Data Structures
The average salary of an engineer is about R 575 000 yearly.
Businesses always need solutions for the challenges that come up while running them. A business consultant is a professional who provides an advisory role to businesses and companies, giving them solutions for businesses. They also propose actions that can help make the company’s goals a reality. They work to improve business processes, introduce new methods and change or upgrade obsolete practices within the company. In consulting, you can have job roles like strategy consultant, operations consultant, financial advisory consultant, human resource consultant, IT consultant, etc. Consulting job openings in South Africa always revolve around these roles.
As a business consultant, here are some skills you will need:
Business Strategy
Management Consulting
Business Analysis
Business Development
Project Management
Change Management
Sales
Business Process Improvement
The average salary of a business consultant yearly is about R 320 000.
Medicine/Nursing is one career that is always in demand because of the ever-increasing need for medical attention among people. People in this sector provide every form of medical care and attention to people. Diagnosing, treating, and prescriptions, are all part of the medical services needed and provided by people in the medicine/nursing sector. There are lots of roles available in the healthcare sector. Some of them are medical assistants, nursing assistants, physicians, therapists, pharmacists, nurses, laboratory technicians, dentists, surgical technologists, etc. People who are skilled to apply for these medical jobs in South Africa hardly lack employment.
Some of the skills required to work in this career include:
Medical Record Management
Patient Assessment
Taking Vital Signs
CPR and First Aid
Blood Pressure Monitoring
Wound Dressing and Care
NIH Stroke Scale Patient Assessment
Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Medicine Administration
Blood Pressure Monitoring
Phlebotomy
Rehabilitation Therapy
Hygiene Assistance
Use of X-Ray, MRI, and CAT Scans
Healthcare personnel in South Africa earn up to R 400 000 annually on average.
Being in the education sector is a career that is in high demand in South Africa. With the many schools in South Africa, from basic to university education, professionals are always required in the educational sector. Many teaching job opportunities are available for skilled educators and teachers, even in South Africa.
Some of the skills required in this career include
Classroom management
Research skills
Writing skills
Computer skills
Testing and Grading
Lesson Planning
Math and Data-driven Skills
Basic First Aid Knowledge
Virtual Teaching
In South Africa, professionals in the education sector earn about R 350 000 yearly on average.
A full-stack developer is a web developer that works with both the front end and back end of a website or application. They provide end-to-end service and can be involved in building user-facing websites. They design, develop, and maintain fully-fledged and functioning platforms with databases or servers. Basically, a full-stack developer is a developer with the skills of both a front-end and back-end developer and at the end of the day, a full-stack developer writes specialized codes.
A full-stack developer has to have these skills:
Degree in Computer Science.
Strong organisational and project management skills.
Proficiency with fundamental front-end languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Familiarity with JavaScript frameworks such as Angular JS, React and Amber.
Proficiency with server-side languages such as Python, Ruby, Java, PHP and .Net.
Familiarity with database technology such as MySQL, Oracle and MongoDB.
The responsibilities of a full-stack developer are usually around
Developing front-end and back-end website architecture and applications.
Designing user interactions on web pages.
Creating servers and databases for functionality.
Ensuring responsiveness of applications.
Working alongside graphic designers for web design features.
Seeing through a project from conception to finished product.
Designing and developing APIs.
Staying abreast of developments in web applications and programming languages.
The average salary of a full-stack developer yearly is about R 660 000.
A product manager is responsible for crowdsourcing, developing and curating ideas that will deliver value to customers. He basically identifies a customer need and larger business objectives that a product can fulfil. In South Africa, vacancies for product managers are gradually increasing due to the need for businesses to fulfil customer needs and demands.
A product manager will need to have these skills included in his CV
Understanding of web development
Ability to write technical specs and requirements
Conducting market research
Knowledge of user experience best practices
Basic data analytical expertise
Some of the responsibilities of a product manager will include
Create buy-in for the product vision both internally and with key external partners
Develop product pricing and positioning strategies
Translate product strategy into detailed requirements and prototypes
Scope and prioritize activities based on business and customer impact
Work closely with engineering teams to deliver quick time-to-market and optimal resources
Drive product launches including working with the public relations team, executives, and other product management team members
Evaluate promotional plans to ensure that they are consistent with product line strategy and that the message is effectively conveyed
A product manager can earn up to R 604 000 on average annually.
A data analyst reviews data to identify key insights into a business’s customers and ways the data can be used to solve problems. They then relay this information to company leadership and other stakeholders, which will in turn help them make decisions. Data analysts use statistical tools to interpret data while paying attention to patterns that can be valuable for predictive analysis. Data analyst job roles in South Africa are usually in high demand across different provinces.
The job role of a data analyst requires skill in these areas:
SQL, Structured Query Language
Microsoft Excel
Statistical programming
Probability and statistics
Data management
Visualization
Here are some of the job descriptions for a data analyst
Using automated tools to extract data from primary and secondary sources
Removing corrupted data and fixing coding errors and related problems
Developing and maintaining databases, and data systems – reorganizing data in a readable format
Performing analysis to assess the quality and meaning of data
Using statistical tools to identify, analyze, and interpret patterns and trends in complex data sets could be helpful for the diagnosis and prediction
Assigning numerical value to essential business functions so that business performance can be assessed and compared over periods of time.
Analyzing local, national, and global trends that impact both the organization and the industry
Preparing reports for the management stating trends, patterns, and predictions using relevant data
Most data analysts earn about R 539 000 annually on average.
A digital marketer is a person who uses various digital platforms to reach potential customers for the advertisement of the products and services offered by a company. What defines a digital marketer is, that person’s ability to plan and execute marketing campaigns. They also work on analysing the reports to build and maintain the online presence of a company. Digital marketing openings are not restricted to a particular industry because every organization needs advertisement for their products and services.
Skills required for a digital marketer are
Analytics skills to design efficient data analysis strategies.
Strong command of keyword research and knowledge of its usage in the content.
Sound holds over the language and excellent written and communication skills for high-quality content creation.
Customer engagement skills to identify the target audience and the right approach to address them.
Good knowledge of search engine tools; SEMrush, Google, Trends, Keyword Planner, etc. Content marketer tools; Grammarly, MS Word, Excel, etc. and social media tools; LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Hootsuite, etc.
The job descriptions of a digital marketer are
Designing strategies based on search engine optimization, and search engine marketing followed by content, email and social media marketing for digital campaigns.
Research new online media opportunities and keep up to date with present digital trends for the benefit of the business.
Communicate with clients, fellow networks and affiliate partners for reports and analysis to study the effective return on investment.
Conduct keyword research & prepare web statistics reports using different software to monitor the performance of websites and accordingly create proposals for modification.
Deal with media suppliers to get the best price for consumers.
Manage the contact database for lead generation.
A digital marketer in South Africa can earn up to R 360 000 annually.
Essentially, a supply chain manager coordinates, organizes and manages the logistics involved in the production and distribution of a company’s goods. In other words, he oversees the full life cycle of a product. They are saddled with the responsibility of creating and maintaining business relationships with suppliers and clients. They also direct the allocation of materials, supplies and products. And in most cases, they manage a financial budget to create a product that will meet the demand of current or future clients. Supply chain manager roles are always found in manufacturing and production firms.
Skills required for a Supply Chain Manager are
Enterprise Resource Management
Business intelligence solutions
Understanding of market dynamics
Risk management
Supply chain strategy and analytics
Project management
Cost accounting skills
ICT Skills
A supply chain manager will be required to
Create the company’s supply chain strategy
Analyze data from shipping and delivering processes to find bottlenecks and other issues
Evaluate and report on KPIs
Monitor logistics to make sure they run smoothly
Maintain supply chain inventory and records
Train and guide employees
Find cost-effective solutions for supply chain processes
Resolve issues that come up (e.g. delays in delivery, accidents)
Collaborate with other departments to create coordinated plans for business growth
Develop and implement safety guidelines in all aspects of the supply chain (e.g. use of trucks, and forklifts)
Ensure supply chain processes meet legal requirements and standards
Communicate and negotiate with suppliers and vendors to land more profitable deals
Supply chain managers in South Africa earn R 435 000 on average annually.
Handling projects require the input and expertise of a professional and this is where project managers come in. A project manager is responsible for planning, organizing and directing the execution of a specific project for an organization while ensuring that the projects are executed on time, on a specific budget and within scope. They oversee the projects from inception to completion. Their inputs have the ability to reduce costs for a project, maximize efficiencies and increase revenue. Companies are always on the lookout for experienced people to employ when they advertise job openings in project management.
The skills required of a project manager are
Process management
Project initiation
Project planning
Scheduling
Documentation
Project Control
Knowledge of Project Management tools
Here are some of the job descriptions of a project manager
Defining project objectives, project scope, roles & responsibilities.
Defining resource requirements and managing resource availability & allocation
Outlining a budget based on requirements and tracking costs to deliver projects on budget.
Preparing a detailed project plan to schedule key project milestones, workstreams & activities.
Managing the delivery of the project according to this plan.
Tracking projects and providing regular reports on project status to the project team and key stakeholders.
Identifying and mitigating potential risks.
Managing the relationship and communication with the client and all stakeholders, ensuring the project is delivered to their satisfaction.
Project Managers can earn as much as R 600 000 on average yearly.
Network administrators have the responsibility of running and maintaining IT networks. They can set up the network no doubt, but the greater part of their job lies in maintenance. They can identify problems and troubleshoot them, either with hardware or software. They also look out for vulnerabilities in the system. Generally, they ensure that your IT infrastructure runs effectively and securely.
A network administrator will have to be skilled in:
System hardware and software configuration
Network security
Troubleshooting
Virtualisation
Knowledge of LAN and WAN
Switch and firewall skills
The typical responsibilities of a network administrator will include
Installing and configuring computer networks and systems
Identifying and solving any problems that arise with computer networks and systems
Consulting with clients to specify system requirements and design solutions
Budgeting for equipment and assembly costs
Assembling new systems
Maintaining existing software and hardware and upgrading any that have become obsolete
Monitoring computer networks and systems to identify how performance can be improved
Working with IT support personnel
Providing network administration and support
A network administrator can make up to R 418 000 per year, however, it is also largely dependent on skill and years of experience.
Every business will need to keep its finances in check and requires an accountant to do that. This involves reporting and accounting for money gotten and spent, and ensuring that the company follows the country's tax laws. Accountants always ensure that proper financial records are kept and the records books are in order. The need to have credible and transparent systems across firms has created a need for skilled accountants in organizations. Coming across vacancies in accounting is not difficult, but more importantly, the individual must have the desired skill.
The skills required as an accountant are
Data Entry
Microsoft Office Suite
Standards of Accounting
Data Analysis
SAP Software
An accountant’s job description will likely include
Manage all accounting transactions
Prepare budget forecasts and publish financial statements on time.
Handle monthly, quarterly and annual closings
Reconcile accounts payable and receivable
Compute taxes and prepare tax returns
Manage balance sheets and profit/loss statements
Report on the company’s financial health and liquidity
Audit financial transactions and documents
Reinforce financial data confidentiality and conduct database backups when necessary
Comply with financial policies and regulations
An accountant earns an average of R 300 000 annually in South Africa.
A financial analyst is responsible for different types of research tasks. These researches help to inform investment strategies and decision-making for their companies and clients. These activities can include evaluating financial data, examining current events and market developments and also creating financial models to predict future performance. Analysts can monitor macroeconomic trends or have a narrow focus on specific sectors and industries. They can have financial analyst job openings in investment banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, venture capital firms, etc.
If you’re going to be a financial analyst, then you have to be skilled in
Accounting Skills
Financial Modeling
Accounting Software
Project Financing Skills
Corporate Finance
Business Valuation
MS Excel Skills
A financial analyst will have to cover the following responsibilities
Provide analytical, forecasting, reporting, and project support to senior management
Produce monthly reports, which include key metrics, financial results, and variance reporting
Spearhead the annual and quarterly budgeting and forecasting processes
Identify opportunities for performance improvement across the organization
Maintain knowledge and keep abreast of new investment regulations or policies
Develop models that help with decision-making
The average income of a financial analyst annually in South Africa is about R 635 560.
As the name implies, an agricultural engineer is an engineering professional in the agricultural field. An agricultural engineer helps to ensure that farming is sustainable, safe, and environmentally friendly. They do this by analyzing agricultural operations and looking at new technologies and ways of doing things to improve land use, increase yields, and conserve resources.
An agricultural engineer should be skilled in
Soil and Crop Science
Environmental Science
Hydrology
Organization
Structural Engineering
AutoCAD
Irrigation Systems
Project Management
Drainage Systems
GIS
Farm Equipment
The job descriptions of an agricultural engineer will include
Designing agricultural machinery and/or equipment
Testing agricultural machinery so as to ensure that operations within the farm are carried out smoothly and efficiently
Designing crop storage facilities, animal, and crop processing, and overseeing the construction and/or setting up of these facilities
Conducting educational programs that help farmers with relevant information that they need for the improvement and enhancement of their agricultural produce
Supervising food processing and manufacturing procedures within a particular farm
Designing food processing plants and other related mechanical systems
Preparing sketches, drawings, proposals, and budgets needed for previously planned agricultural sites.
Annually, an agricultural engineer can earn up to R 680 000 in South Africa.
Civil engineering technologists provide technical support and service to scientists, engineers and other professionals. They also visit construction job sites to collect or test materials or to observe activities as a project inspector. They can also work independently in fields such as structural engineering, construction design and supervision.
Every successful civil engineering technologist must be skilled in
Civil 3D
Auto CAD
Data Collection
Field Testing
Engineering Drawings
Cost Estimates
Project Specifications
Topography Surveys
The job description of a civil engineering technologist includes
Performing initial site surveys, analysing soil, rock and other materials
Creating engineering design plans using computer-aided design (CAD) software
Ensuring project feasibility through research and cost analysis
Predicting design and construction time frames
Preparing estimates of labour and material costs
Negotiating with suppliers
Supervising and reporting on overall project progress
Reporting problems to Construction Managers and preparing reports for Engineers
In South Africa, civil engineering technologists earn up to R 306 375 annually on average.
While nurses and doctors handle the health aspect of the hospital, hospital administrators handle the organizational and of course, administrative side of the health service. They always ensure that a medical facility is employing practices that deliver the best care possible. The hospital administrator basically runs the health facility. They are the invisible backbone of the hospital. They also direct, supervise and evaluate the work activities of the other staff, medical, nursing, technical, etc. They handle the planning and implementation of programs that help the training and coordination of staff.
A hospital administrator should have skills in the following
Business administration and operations
Patient care
Data Analysis
Budgeting
Quality Assurance and Control
Legal knowledge
A hospital administrator will cover the following responsibilities
Conducts and administers fiscal operations including accounting, planning budgets, authorizing expenditures, establishing rates for services, and coordinating financial reporting.
Maintains communication among governing boards, medical staff, and department heads.
Directs or conducts recruitment, hiring and training of staff.
Maintains awareness of advances in medicine, computerized diagnostic and treatment equipment, data processing technology, government regulations, health insurance changes, and financing options.
Monitors the use of diagnostic services, inpatient beds, facilities, and staff to ensure effective use of resources and assesses the need for additional staff, equipment, and services.
Manages changes in integrated healthcare delivery systems such as work restructuring, technological innovations, and shifts in the focus of care.
Inspects facilities and recommends building or equipment modifications to ensure emergency readiness and compliance to access, safety, and sanitation regulations.
Consults with medical, business, and community groups to discuss service problems, responds to community needs, enhance public relations, coordinate activities and plans, and promote health programs.
The average hospital administrator earns about R 336 000 annually in South Africa.
Human resource managers are vital leaders in their organizations, overseeing employee recruitment, staff training and development, and workplace policies and processes. They also supervise the payroll department to ensure payments and benefits programs are processed correctly and introduce incentives to motivate employees. Generally, human resource managers play a key role in developing an organization’s culture. They manage communication between managers and employees, helping to resolve disputes or complaints and advising executives on relevant policies for workplace conduct. Organizations always need skilled people to fill the openings available for human resource managers in order to maximize talent.
Skills a human resource manager needs are
Communication skills
Policy creation and management
HR strategy creation and execution
Talent recruiting and management
Knowledge of ATS
Administrative skills
Reporting skills
Some of the responsibilities of a human resource manager include
Consistently recruiting excellent staff and executing a smooth onboarding process.
Training, counselling, and coaching our staff.
Resolving conflicts through positive and professional mediation.
Carrying out necessary administrative duties.
Conducting performance and wage reviews.
Developing clear policies and ensuring policy awareness.
Creating clear and concise reports.
Maintaining and reporting on workplace health and safety compliance.
Handling workplace investigations, disciplinary, and termination procedures.
Maintaining employee and workplace privacy.
COVID-19 changed the nature of work as we know it and also made some jobs more relevant than others. This how shaped the future of work all over the world, and with this, some jobs will remain more relevant and sought after in the future.
Software engineering jobs
Blockchain jobs
Virtual reality jobs
Cybersecurity/Ethical Hacking
Data analysts
Content Creators
AI jobs
Healthcare jobs
Teaching jobs
Food service jobs
There it is! The careers in demand in South Africa 2023. In the face of an ever-changing world, with unpredictable elements, the demands for careers can change. However, some careers are currently in high demand and will remain so for a period of time. Hope this helps you make a choice for your career.
If there are other careers that interest you, you can add them in the comments.
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