Jobs that are in demand in South Africa

The list features 370 jobs that have had strong employment growth or are experiencing shortfalls in the labour market or jobs that are likely to be in demand in the future. The list is reviewed every two years.

There is an increasing international need for education and training to be better coordinated with society and education’s needs according to the department.

The list highlights the high demand occupations at a national level to help universities and post-matric training programmes with the vast developmental objectives of South Africa.

It is also targeted at public and private employers who are encouraged to the list in the creation of their own development and training programmes.

According to the department, occupations were in high demand if:

1. They show that there has been strong employment or wage growth in the past five years.

2. They could possibly show relatively strong employment growth in the future.

3. It has been recognised that there is a shortage in the labour market.

4. Are new and are expected to come out in the future because of innovation, technological progress, the developments of new industries or the introduction of government strategic priorities.

The list of high-demand occupations were further broken down into three levels of demand including highest demand, higher demand and high demand. This pointed out the job shortages that need to urgently be focused on.

Below is a table showing some of the occupations that fall under the three levels of demand:

Highest demand	Higher demand	High demand
Finance Manager	Importer and Exporter	Actuary
Sales Executive	Social Worker	Botanist
Manufacturer	Software Developer	Illustrator
Project Builder	Dental Hygienist	Registered Nurse
Seismologist	Events Manager	Veterinarian

Branding organisation Universum has released research that shows the most attractive employers in the country. According to the research, government and parastatals are some of the top choices as employers for university students and young professionals.

In the sectors of healthcare or health sciences the Department of Health and Discovery were ranked as some of the best employers. In the engineering and technology sector Google and Eskom were some of the best employers.