The latest CareerJunction Index shows South Africa’s job market experienced a significant downturn in May 2020, as the level 4 lockdown continued to keep large parts of the economy closed.
According to the group, a downturn in hiring and job seeking was experienced across all sectors, though some industries managed better than others.
“The impact of the nationwide lockdown and its economic restrictions is leaving its mark on the South African labour market. A significant downturn in recruitment activity was experienced in many sectors during May 2020,” it said.
This was felt hardest in marketing, sales, manufacturing, maintenance and repair, and in business management and admin, the group noted. But even the less severely-hit sectors were affected.
“With the onset of lockdown, hiring activity decreased for professionals in the architecture & engineering, building & construction, ICT and medical & health sectors,” it said.
Not surprisingly, however, demand for medical professionals seems more stable as the number of positive Covid-19 cases is increasing, it noted.
Upswing in job hunting
The overall index showed that while hiring remains low, job seeking is picking up again, with the IT, business & management and finance sectors the most sought-after sectors.
This is followed by the sales, admin, office & support and architecture & engineering sectors, among others listed.
“When looking at active job seekers across various sectors, areas of high supply correlate closely to areas of high demand – however, supply outstrips demand in some areas, leading to a competitive environment for job seekers,” CareerJunction said.
Despite the low hiring activity, jobs are still available, and the group notes that specific skills are still in high demand. These skills have been sought-after for a long time before the Covid-19 outbreak, and still remain so.
“Software developers are always in high in demand in the South African labour market. During May 2020, more than 1,000 vacancies were posted on www.careerjunction.co.za for professionals with programming skills,” CareerJunction said.
Despite a significant drop in hiring activity, middle and department managers face good employment prospects. Sales and store managers are particularly sought-after, the portal noted.
Demand for sales staff decreased significantly over the past 2 months. However, sales consultants are in constant demand, it said.
The group also highlighted three trending jobs, which have seen a spike in demand over the last month.
Nursing / Professional Care Giving
Average salary offerings for a skilled level position:
- GP: R22,868 to R32,229
- WC: R23,030 to R32,104
- KZN: R20,800 to R30,033
Executive Management / Director
Average salary offerings for an executive level position:
- GP: R93,613 to R161,370
- WC: R92,042 to R120,914
- KZN: R83,452 to R96,667
Data Analysis / Data Warehousing
Average salary offerings for a managerial level position:
- GP: R49,569 to R62,341
- WC: R43,070 to R54,565
- KZN: Data not available.
