If you’ve been feeling like the South African job market’s been a bit of a rollercoaster lately, you’re not wrong. New data highlights fluctuations in the availability of jobs across various sectors in the country.
From hiring hiccups to money matters, the latest Pnet Job Market Trends Report for June 2024 contains some surprising twists and turns.
South African job market trends
Despite the usual post-April uptick in hiring activity, May 2024 saw a slight dip.
Blame it on the political jitters around the 2024 South African elections if you want, but the numbers don’t lie.
Year-on-year, hiring activity dropped by a whopping 10% compared to May 2023. Even looking back two years, we’re still down 5% from May 2022.
But it’s not all doom and gloom!
The architecture and engineering sector is bucking the trend, showing a 6% year-on-year increase.
So if you’re handy with a drafting table or a calculator, you might be in luck.
Show me the money
For those of you in the admin, office and support sector, here’s what you can expect to rake in:
- Personal Assistants: R19,755 to R26,167 per month
- Office Administrators: R16,399 to R18,842 per month
- Customer Service Representatives: R15,003 to R17,177 per month
Not too shabby, right?
Youth mobility and the great abroad
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting.
Pnet’s report (included below) dives into “youth mobility”, which is just fancy talk for how keen young South Africans are to work abroad.
And boy, are they keen.
While 63% of global respondents are willing to move abroad for work, a whopping 79.5% of South Africans are ready to pack their bags.
For the under-30 crowd, that number jumps to 84%.
In fact, 44% of young South Africans are actively looking for work overseas right now.
But before you start worrying about a mass exodus, here’s the kicker: 68% of these globe-trotting youngsters plan to come back eventually.
They’re not leaving for good; they’re just looking for better opportunities and a chance to level up their careers.
Job in South Africa: The bottom line
The South African job market might be going through some growing pains, but it’s clear our youth aren’t sitting around waiting for things to improve.
They’re ambitious, they’re mobile, and they’re not afraid to look beyond our borders for opportunities.
So, whether you’re an employer looking to retain talent or a job seeker considering your options, one thing’s clear: the game is changing.
Are you ready to adapt?
