Traditional ICT jobs are on the decline, disrupted by “big tech” moments and trends, says Rob Urquhart, executive for evaluation impact and learning at Collective X.
Yesterday, non-profit organisation (NPO) Collective X and its partners presented a refreshed research report titled: Decoding ICT demand 2025: Understanding the ICT job market in South Africa.
The study reflected changes since 2022, the opportunities around digital jobs and the urgency with which SA needs to move to solve the digital skills conundrum.
Urquhart said two trends are emerging. Firstly, jobs on the rise are those following the “big tech” moments and trends – cyber security, artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) and cloud. Secondly, the jobs that are on the decline are those characterised as “traditional” ICT jobs and entry-level in their nature.
ICT roles with the highest growth over the last two years are cloud engineers/architects, cyber security specialists, data scientists/engineers, AI and ML engineers, and DevOps engineers.
In contrast, some jobs of lower complexity − such as network technicians (entry-level), traditional database administrators, web developers (basic), IT helpdesk technicians (level one) and computer operators − are on the decline.
“The demand for cloud engineering (Amazon Web Services skillsets are in the highest demand, followed by Azure) is driven by the continued adoption of cloud infrastructure in digital transformation strategies.
“Cyber security, data science, AI and machine learning (as organisations prioritise data-driven decision-making), and DevOps engineers also show considerable growth in the last two years. Automation and cloud solutions are notable drivers of these shifts.”
Collective X co-invests with employers to support junior ICT talent in gaining relevant digital skills through work-integrated learning. The NPO has raised over R600 million to provide support in the next five years, investing in programmes that are demand-led, according to CEO Evan Jones.
For its report, it drew data from a number of sources, including anonymised data for 2024 sourced from OfferZen, The Stepstone Group for Pnet and Career Junction. Together with Predictive Insights, Collective X also analysed Stats SA and SARS data for a bigger picture.
According to the study, while global demand for basic web development has decreased with the emergence of no-code or low-code platforms, the Pnet and Career Junction dataset reveals web developers are the second most in-demand. The factors contributing to the continued demand for this skill include:
High mobile penetration and internet access: According to ICASA’s 2025 State of the ICT Sector Report, smartphone subscriptions grew by 10.36% in the past year, reaching 116.7 million mobile subscriptions. Household internet access now exceeds 78%, driving strong demand for mobile-optimised websites.
The continued rise of e-commerce post-COVID: Online shopping habits established during the pandemic have persisted, prompting online retailers to invest in secure, mobile-friendly and high-performing websites to meet consumer expectations.
Digital adoption by small and medium enterprises: These companies, which constitute a large proportion of South Africa’s economy, continue to grow their online presence, creating the ongoing need for websites, e-commerce platforms and other digital tools.
Skills balancing act
Based on the Pnet and Career Junction dataset, about 318 000 people actively worked in digital jobs in the country as of last year, revealed Urquhart.
When extrapolating the vacancy data, the overall number of digital skills opportunities stood at 118 000, bringing the total size of employment plus employment possibilities to 436 000.
“Of those 118 000 digital skills vacancies, our estimate for junior, entry-level and early career suitable opportunities is over 41 000. This provides a picture and landscape to understand, at a macro-level, the scope of what opportunities exist for young people,” he said.
Drilling down into the numbers, Collective X was able to classify job titles, demonstrating where jobs are and identifying the big categories.
According to Urquhart, 20 job roles account for 78% of ICT jobs in South Africa. Software developers, web developers, IT support technicians, business analysts and Microsoft developers are the most in-demand.
The research report highlights the huge growth potential for SA’s digital economy – and notes that youth could be the engine that drives it forward. It underscores that this is a critical opportunity to address both youth unemployment and the IT talent gap, if the right support systems are put in place.
According to Jones, there are few areas in the South African economy where there isn’t a jobs problem. “We’ve got more jobs than we have skills. We fundamentally have a skilling problem, but if we can get this right, it can have a huge impact on South Africa.”
Jobs hot spots
The Western Cape and Gauteng continue to lead as the primary hubs for employment, particularly digital jobs, said Urquhart.
The Pnet and Career Junction dataset illustrates that jobs are clustered around the major economic hubs, with over double the number of opportunities in Gauteng than in the Western Cape, with 18 021 and 8 255 opportunities, respectively.
Junior developers have a higher likelihood of finding employment in Cape Town/Stellenbosch (78%) versus Johannesburg/Pretoria (69%), but there are 38% more junior developers employed in Johannesburg in comparison to Cape Town, as per the OfferZen dataset.
Looking at the Cape Town/Stellenbosch nexus, the OfferZen data shows Cape Town is the hub for software developers, Urquhart stated. It also shows the length of time to find a job in the Cape Town/Stellenbosch area at just over seven months, as opposed to just over eight months in Johannesburg/Pretoria.
“There is a shorter period for you to get a job in Cape Town versus in Johannesburg, although there are more jobs in Johannesburg. Your salary is also marginally better if you are in the Cape Town/Stellenbosch area, which may be because of the cost of living.”
The growth of Cape Town/Stellenbosch as a tech hub, especially for start-ups, could be a contributing factor and an indication of the accompanying demand for skills, he added.
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