Software developers at skilled and senior level are most sought-after in terms of job opportunities; however businesses find it particularly difficult to fill vacancies of this sort, career experts point out.
According to CareerJunction, the high demand for software developers with these skills creates a competitive environment for recruiters. “On the other hand, it provides career seekers with many job opportunities,” it adds.
General-manager of CareerWeb, Ernie Hipner, says businesses in SA appear to be in particular need of software developers with a strong background in .Net, Java, PHP and C#. “But there are not enough developers with these necessary skills.”
“Developers across various languages and experience levels are in high demand. The market is also always in demand for good project managers, both permanent and contracting, plus support roles, especially for [voice-over-Internet protocol] and telecoms,” he adds.
Workplace ready
A developer and platform lead at Microsoft SA, Clifford de Wet, says the problem is that there is an undersupply of degree level skills and workplace ready developer skills in these fields.
“Developers that are workplace ready are in high demand, most of development partners are permanently looking to attract new developers and retain their existing skills.
“We see a marked trend where employers are looking for workplace ready skills and a recent study by the ICT Isett Seta revealed that there is an oversupply of diploma level skills versus an undersupply of degree level skills,” he points out.
However, he says: “There are some companies on a drive to take on grads or entry level candidates and train them further while building actual experience.”
He says he does not feel that training is the problem, but rather a combination of factors. “Not enough candidates qualify with math or science marks, which leads to candidates obtaining tertiary education.” This leads to a fewer candidates entering the software development side, especially in C# and Java.
The antidote
De Wet says the answer to the skills shortage problem is initiatives - like Mircosoft's Imagine Cup - which encourage software development skills.
“Students get to build working prototypes and solutions while still at school. In a way it's some sort of hands on experience,” he adds.
According to CareerJunction, the skills shortage of developers is seen predominantly in the regions of Gauteng and the Western Cape.
It says a high concentration of qualified software developers reside in other regions of SA, especially in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.
“Employers and recruiters are, therefore, encouraged to cast their net wider and look at relocation strategies to fill their positions,” it says.
Relocation of talent might positively contribute to a broader strategy that includes the retaining, training and up-skilling of existing and future staff.
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