The ICT sector has shown robust growth despite the economic downturn in SA.
This is according to Careers24's second quarter recruitment report, which indicates a 154% year-on-year increase in jobs posted for the IT, technology and telecoms sectors.
These sectors, according to the report, were also responsible for 32% of all jobs posted on the site during the second quarter of 2017. The data is based on usage patterns of both recruiters sourcing candidates and candidates who apply for positions on the Careers24 platform.
"The Careers24's stats also show a 30% decline in applications for jobs in this sector, meaning that candidates are being more selective due to the increase in available jobs. This will put pressure on companies working in this space to make themselves more appealing to the candidates through strategic employer branding and a keen understanding of what candidates are looking for in the workplace," notes the report.
Job movement in the manufacturing and trade sector (which is often the cornerstone of an economy) is more reflective of the current recession, with a 29% decline in job postings.
Furthermore, the report showed a 125% increase in job postings in the government and parastatal sectors, which was met with a 75% decrease in applicants per job; again showing that candidates could be selective. Engineering remained steady with a 1% increase in job postings and the candidates were eager to apply, with an average of over 22 applicants per posting, according to Careers24.
Ernie Hipner, business development director: recruitment at ITWeb's Careerweb, says the ICT sector has shown growth year-on-year in the number of advertised positions on Careerweb.
"We have experienced an increase of 73% in the number of job applications on our site year-on-year. This is a significant jump from the previous year. The ICT job requirement field has grown by 15% ? most notably in the areas of IT security, digital (developers and UX designers), big data specialists and specific telco engineers.
"Our growth in ICT jobs overall has been consistent because we are an ICT specialist job Web site and not a generalist site. However, we have experienced a sharp increase in job applications over the previous year," he points out.
The quality and variety of jobs and companies hiring have given candidates a lot more career options, he adds.
"The top financial institutions and leading technology organisations in SA have been on an aggressive hiring drive for top IT talent. The demand for IT security, digital and big data specialists is the key requirement in the ICT space this year," continues Hipner.
Recruitment firm Robert Walters in its Robert Walters SA Jobs Index, reveals the South African IT sector has seen the most year-on-year growth in the number of advertised roles among all other sectors.
"With companies looking to increase investment in IT infrastructure to grow their competitive advantage, there has been an evident rise in demand for IT professionals," says Lance Maree, associate director for IT recruitment at Robert Walters SA.
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