The mismatch between skills and required experience in South Africa’s ICT sector is significantly impacting organisations’ ability to fill vacancies, with more than 118 000 ICT roles currently unfilled. This is according to new research by Collective X.
The research draws on data from major online job boards, including Pnet, as well as statistics from MICT Seta and Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
It found there remains a persistent shortage of various types of ICT skills required to help local organisations succeed in the digital economy.
Close to 320 000 people worked in digital jobs in SA over the past year, and there are over 30 000 ICT jobs currently advertised − making up 26% of all job listings. A total of 118 000 digital roles remain unfilled − a 37% vacancy rate − and 41 000 of those roles are junior-level jobs that are ideal for youth.
According to the research, these numbers point to the huge growth potential for SA’s digital economy – and youth could be the engine that drives it forward. This highlights a critical opportunity to address both youth unemployment and the IT talent gap, if the right support systems are put in place, it states.
“There’s a mismatch between the skills young people have and the kind ofexperience employers expect. But with targeted training and real workplaceexperience, thousands of young South Africans could fill these roles,” says RobUrquhart, executive for evaluation impact and learning at Collective X.
“Business has a major role to play in solving this challenge. There are many young people ready to work, and as many roles waiting to be filled. But we need more employers to open the door.”
According to the report, the lack of standardised, high-quality digital education across the country further widens the gap between demand and supply, preventing SA from fully harnessing its potential to develop a robust, home-grown digital workforce.
The high demand for skills does not necessarily translate to a high rate of hiring, but interestingly, overall employment in the ICT sector has dropped in the past two years, it says.
“This is partly because of a post-COVID correction in the market, and because companies (SA and globally) have been tightening up operations. That said, signs of a rebound are on the horizon, with companies like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services investing in new data centres and infrastructure.”
The top three digital jobs are software developers (13%), web developers (10%) and IT support technicians (8.4%).
While IT support technicians are in demand, the competition is tougher in this area. Meanwhile, desktop support and data administrator jobs are oversaturated, with fewer vacancies and a lot of applicants, which makes it harder for young people to get a foot in the door.
“While these three roles represent the biggest entry points for junior candidates, they don’t necessarily represent the jobs that are most likely to hire young people. But they’re not the only ones hiring young people; roles like data analysts, data scientists and Microsoft developers are increasingly showing a higher proportion of junior jobs available,” notes the report.
“This is likely because demand for these skills is growing fast, and employers can’t find enough mid- or senior-level talent, driving up hiring costs at this level, making the recruitment of junior candidates more attractive.”
However, the real hiring momentum for junior roles appears to be in areas like data science, analysis and Microsoft development − roles where demand has outpaced mid- and senior-level supply, forcing employers to look for cost-effective, trainable junior digital talent.
Collective X’s research identifies these areas as “zones of opportunity”.
The research notes training alone won’t be enough to fill the skills gap. Young people need access to meaningful work experience, and that’s where work-integrated learning (WIL) and smarter hiring come in.
While South Africa has seen a rise in digital skills training programmes, Collective X says the missing piece is demand-led skilling for the jobs employers need to fill, supported by access to meaningful workplace exposure, or WIL. Without structured and guided workplace experience as part of their learning, young people struggle to apply what they have learned and build confidence in a real-world environment.
“While the most common vacancies might seem like natural entry points for junior talent, they’re not always the ones hiring young people,” adds Urquhart. “Demand is shifting and employers are becoming more open to nurturing young talent in high-demand areas.”
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