To help you find out which skills you need to update to be more marketable, here's a list of the top 10 most sought-after skills in South Africa.
According to research, the number of job applications reaches
a high every year around October. This means even more competition out there
for those jobs you are applying for.
If you want to be the one to get picked, you have to show that you have all the skills recruiters are looking for. To help you find out which skills you need to update to be more marketable, a large online platform for professionals has analysed billions of data points and has come up with a list of the top 10 most sought-after skills in South Africa.
Top 10 most in demand skills in South Africa
1. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
3. Network and Information Security
7. Middleware and Integration Software
8. Web Architecture and development Framework
9. Mac, Linux and Unix Systems
10. Public Policy and International Relations
Most of these skills are also very high in demand on the global job market.
Top 10 most in demand skills globally
1. Cloud and Distributed Computing
2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining (#1 in SA)
3. Web Architecture and Development Framework (#8 in SA)
4. Middleware and Integration Software (#7 in SA)
5. User Interface Design (#6 in SA)
6. Network and Information Security (#3 in SA)
7. Mobile Development (#4 in SA)
8. Data Presentation
9. SEO/SEM Marketing
10. Storage Systems and Management
Trends
In the list we can see that tech related skills are especially high in demand. According to career expert Catherine Fisher, some skills come and go and the demand changes every couple of years, but the data from the last years strongly suggests that tech skills will be in high demand in every industry for a relatively long time to come. In other words, it’s an excellent time to upskill your tech abilities and thereby increase your chances of finding a job with long-term perspectives.
Other trends in the job market that could be identified are:
Firstly, the demand for marketers is decreasing. Marketing skills are still in demand, but they are disappearing from the top 10. That is mostly because the supply of people with the right marketing skills has caught up with the demand from employers and recruiters.
Secondly, Cloud and Distributed Computing has quickly risen to the number one skill in demand in almost every country, except South Africa. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining is also a very high scoring skill on every list in every country, including South Africa. These skills are in such a high demand because employers need people to stay competitive when it comes to the cutting edge of technology.
The third trend is working with data. Employers don’t need employees to just tell them what is happening, they need the hard evidence. After all, understanding the relevant data means being able to steer the company in the right direction.
The fourth and last trend for the last two years is the rise of User Interface Design. That is, designing the parts of the product that people interact with, or, in other words, designing products in a way that customers will find them easy to use.
Looking to get hired? Add these skills to your Careers24 profile or take a course with Udemy to upskill in these fields.
Read more:
21 skills you need to get ahead in 2016
Top tech skills you'll definitely need by 2020
The 10 skills that really matter for the 21st-century professional
6 online institutions you need to pick up new skills
