Recent data from the jobs portal CareerJunction shows the most in-demand jobs in South Africa right now in light of an increase in overall hiring activity.

The company’s latest Industry Report showed that compared to the previous year, May 2023 marked a 3% increase in hiring, while recruitment activity increased by 5% from April 2023.

According to the group, this was mainly a result of a general uptake in recruitment, along with significant increases in hiring for the Sales as well as Admin, Office & Support and Business & Management sectors.

The data for the report was gathered from 5,000 of the country’s largest recruiters, agencies, and employers who advertise job positions on the CareerJunction portal.

The data for the report was gathered from 5,000 of the country’s largest recruiters, agencies, and employers who advertise job positions on the CareerJunction portal.

However, the data did highlight the sectors that showed the most hiring activity over the past three months, including Sales; Admin, Office & Support; Business & Management; and Information Technology.

The growth numbers and most in-demand jobs within these notable sectors are listed below.

Sales (+16%)

• Representative / Sales Consulting.

Admin, Office & Support (+15%)

• Client / Customer Support;
• Human Resources; and
• Admin Clerk.

Business & Management (+6%)

• Employee & Industrial Relations;
• Organisational Design; and
• Infrastructure / Operations Consulting.

Information Technology (+6%)

• Systems / Network Administration; and
• Database Design / Development / Administration.

Regional differences

CareerJunction also reported that recruitment per province in South Africa remained relatively stagnant over the quarter.

The group noted that Gauteng still offers the majority of South Africa’s job opportunities (53%) as the country’s economic hub.

The following 31% of job offers are in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) combined, while the Western Cape saw a decline of 1% in recruitment compared to last month but still held the second largest percentage at 21%.

The report noted that the most significant regional hiring drive was experienced in KZN, where recruitment activity for Marketing professionals rocketed by 22% from March, April, and May 2022 to March, April, and May 2023.

However, this trend was not seen in the Western Cape and Gauteng, as both provinces saw a downturn in Marketing recruitment activity from 2022 to 2023.

The report also noted a slight decline in Sales and Information Technology recruitment across the three major provinces.

Information Technology saw a minor year-on-year decrease (-2%) in hiring activity across all three provinces, while Gauteng reported the biggest decline (-3%) in hiring activity for Sales professionals.

However, CareerJunction further highlighted significant job opportunity growth in the three provinces for Admin, Office & Support.

It reported that scarce skills in the sector include:

• Receptionist
• Administrator
• Personal Assistant

Some market-related salaries applicants can expect in the field include:

• Call Centre Agent – (R7,853 to R11,262 per month))
• HR Officer – (R21,208 to R26,151 per month)
• Office Administrator – (R14,591 to R16,553 per month)

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