As South Africa observes Workers’ Day on 1 May, its citizens face a high unemployment crisis and job cuts being implemented across the market while battling a global pandemic that has claimed over 50 000 lives in the country.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people in the employment sector, the digital shift has been threatening jobs prior to the current global crisis. Banks are reducing their branches and choosing digital services. As the demand for print publications continues to shrink, some media houses are making a complete shift towards digital communication.

The latest unemployment figures by Stats SA portray a dreary picture about the state of the country’s job market, marking an unemployment rate of 32,5% in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Stats SA | 2.2 million jobs were lost during the lockdown

With the influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, new career paths are being identified to meet the demands of these changes. New jobs which had never existed before are being created and university courses are being updated to adapt.

The South African government has also identified jobs and skills that are in high demand across business sectors at a national level.

In November 2020 Minister Blade Nzimande launched the latest National List of Occupations in High Demand (OIHD) in South Africa.

 10 occupations across sectors that are currently in demand:

Jobs that are in demand across different sectors.

  • Agricultural Scientist
  • Food and Beverage Scientist
  • Web Designer
  • Multimedia Designer
  • Software Developer
  • Computer Network and Systems Engineer
  • Geographic Information Systems Technicians
  • Biotechnologist
  • Registered Nurse
  • Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Practitioner

Some of the occupations may have variations in their names, such as Web Designer/Web Developer, however, the qualifications required are either identical or similar.

Some of the most in-demand jobs under COVID-19 pandemic: Dr Linda Louise Geldenhuys