Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy is rapidly emerging as an important skill in South Africa’s labour market, with companies increasingly seeking candidates who can apply AI tools across everyday functions, not only in technical environments.
This is according to the Pnet Job Market Trends Report for March, which reveals a structural shift in how AI skills are distributed across professions, marking a transition from specialist-led adoption to widespread, cross-functional use across industries.
Pnet’s findings are based on empirical data from Stepstone Group South Africa’s recruitment platforms, which collectively host more than 11 million registered users and over 5 000 recruiters.
The report suggests organisations are increasingly competing for candidates who can demonstrate practical AI application skills, not only technical AI engineering experience.
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Pnet’s analysis shows that between 2016 and 2019, AI-related skills growth in SA was largely concentrated among developers and data specialists.
According to the report, this is changing: even during this early phase of AI adoption, there is significant spill-over of AI use cases into non-technical roles.
Pnet’s data shows that demand and supply for AI-related skills is now distributed across multiple sectors, including information technology, finance, marketing, education, design, manufacturing, sales and business management.
In IT, professionals are using AI to streamline coding, testing and deployment processes.
Across finance departments, AI tools are applied to reporting, bookkeeping and data processing. Marketing and sales teams are using AI for customer insight generation and to analyse data, as well as to create innovative content. Administrative staff are automating routine tasks to improve efficiency, accuracy and turnaround times.
Across architecture and engineering, AI is being used to optimise design and improve sustainability outcomes, while manufacturing industries are applying it for predictive maintenance, predictive analysis and quality control.
“Some professionals were using the precursors of today’s AI solutions as far back as 2010. For example, bookkeepers were using the Dext AI-powered financial automation system, but they were the exceptions rather than the rule,” says Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet.
“Today, AI tools are being used across a far wider range of professions to improve productivity, decision-making and efficiency.”
The report identifies 2023 as a major inflection point, driven by the mainstream emergence of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.
Since then, AI-skilled job-seekers have begun growing at a faster rate than traditional AI development roles, signalling a shift from building AI systems to using AI systems across business functions.
This reflects a broader workplace transformation, where AI is increasingly embedded into day-to-day workflows and no longer confined to specialist technology roles, notes the report.
According to Pnet, employers seeking AI skills are now broadly splitting AI into two categories: development skills and application skills.
Development capabilities include machine learning, natural language processing, chatbot development and AI system design. Application skills, meanwhile, focus on using tools such as ChatGPT, Zapier and Dext to enhance productivity in non-technical roles.
“Pnet’s data shows a clear shift from specialised AI expertise to widespread, cross-functional adoption,” notes Bates. “As AI tools become more accessible, professionals who build AI-related skills will be better positioned to remain competitive in an evolving job market.”
She adds that even basic AI literacy is becoming a differentiator for employability, particularly as organisations look to improve productivity and decision-making through automation.
Commenting on the report, Dr Mario Landman, executive: educational technology and innovation at the Independent Institute of Education and ADvTECH’s Academic Centre of Excellence, points out that AI skills have moved decisively into the core of economic competitiveness.
“AI skills have transitioned from a niche advantage to the baseline currency of the modern digital economy,” he says. “For South African firms, the 77% surge in demand for these skills over the last 12 months reflects a shift from experimental use to strategic necessity for survival.”
Landman explains that this acceleration is being driven by technological evolution and macro-economic pressure, particularly as organisations integrate more advanced AI systems capable of autonomous decision-making.
“The evolution of large action models means AI is moving past simple conversation to executing complex tasks and making autonomous decisions,” he says. “Firms need skilled professionals to manage these systems to reshape the frontiers of automation in sectors like logistics and manufacturing.”
Landman believes that beyond automation, AI is increasingly being adopted as a lever for operational efficiency, with measurable impacts already emerging in South African enterprises.
“AI is currently compressing decision cycles from weeks to minutes, allowing organisations to boost productivity by 30% to 40%,” he notes. “In South Africa, 32% of companies already report tangible financial returns from initial AI investments.”
He describes the current labour market environment as a “Red Queen’s race”, where organisations must continuously adopt new technologies simply to remain competitive.
“We are in a ‘Red Queen’s race’ where the pace of technological evolution moves faster than traditional skill production,” he explains. “The majority of South African companies now view AI as a key part of their business strategy; those failing to adapt face overwhelming disorientation and squeezed margins as competitors automate labour-intensive tasks.”
In education, demand is rising for AI educators, researchers, learning and development specialists, and content creators who are now required to work with generative AI tools.
“The education sector has seen one of the strongest increases in AI-related job postings, reflecting the integration of AI into curriculum design and institutional delivery,” Landman asserts.
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