Published competitor and industry reports
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Apr 2025
May 2025
Month-on-month local hiring activity increased by +4% from February to March 2025.
Year-on-year, hiring activity increased by +10%, compared to March 2024.
The trend for the two-year comparison shows a decline of -4%, when comparing recruitment activity between March 2023 and March 2025. This trend reflects continued volatility in the local Job Market.
Career Junction Employment Insights: 2025/Q1
April 2025
Q1:2025 reflected a slight decrease in recruitment activity (-2%) compared to Q4:2024 (seasonally adjusted). However, year-on-year the number of vacancies increased by +2.9%.
Over the past two years (Q1:2023 to Q1:2025) hiring activity has declined by -8.4%.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Mar 2025
Apr 2025
Month-on-month local hiring activity declined by -11% from January to February 2025.
Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -8%, compared to February 2024.
The trend for the two-year comparison shows a decline of -5%, when comparing recruitment activity between February 2023 and February 2025. This trend reflects continued volatility in the local Job Market.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Feb 2025
Mar 2025
Month-on-month local hiring activity was up +4% from December 2024 to January 2025. Year-on-year, hiring activity reflected growth of +9%, compared to January 2024.
The trend for the two-year comparison remains similar, when comparing recruitment activity between January 2023 and January 2025.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Jan 2025
Feb 2025
Month-on-month local hiring activity was up +6% from November to December 2024.
Year-on-year, hiring activity remained similar, with an increase of +1%, compared to December 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison remains low. Recruitment activity decreased by -7% compared to December 2022.
Career Junction Employment Insights: 2024/Q4
January 2024
Q4:2024 reflected similar recruitment activity levels to that seen in Q3:2024. However, year-on-year the number of vacancies decreased by -2.7%.
Over the past two years (Q4:2022 to Q4:2024) hiring activity has declined by -2.9%.
Slow hiring activity has been evident for most of 2024.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Dec 2024
Jan 2025
Slowing recruitment activity continued in November. Month-on-month local hiring activity was down by -10% from October to November 2024.
Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -10%, compared to November 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has decreased by -10% compared to November 2022.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Nov 2024
Dec 2024
Month-on-month local hiring activity was up +12% from September to October 2024. Year-on-year, hiring activity remains down, with a decrease of -1%, compared to October 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison is more positive, revealing that recruitment activity has increased by +6% compared to October 2022.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Oct 2024
Nov 2024
Slowing recruitment activity continued in September. Month-on-month local hiring activity was down by -5% from August to September 2024. Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -6%, compared to September 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has decreased by -17% compared to September 2022.
Career Junction Employment Insights: 2024/Q3
October 2024
Hiring activity in Q3:2024 has remained the same as that seen in Q2:2024.
Year-on-year, however, the number of vacancies has declined by -3.7%. Over the past two years (Q3:2022 to Q3:2024) hiring activity has declined by -7.2%.
Despite a slight update in recruitment activity in the second quarter 2024, slow hiring activity has been evident for most of the year to date.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Sept 2024
Oct 2024
Local hiring activity was down by -11% from July to August 2024, signalling a slowing hiring market. Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -13%, compared to August 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has decreased by -11% compared to August 2022.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report: Aug 2024
Sept 2024
Local hiring activity increased by +8% from June to July 2024, signalling a positive upward trend. Year-on-year, hiring activity increased by +4%, compared to July 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has increased by +6% compared to July 2022.
Career Junction Employment Insights: 2024/Q2
August 2024
Hiring activity in Q2:2024 has seen a slight uptake of +5%, compared to Q1:2024. Year-on-year, however, the number of vacancies has declined by -7.2%. Over the past two years (Q2:2022 to Q2:2024) hiring activity has declined by -5.5%.
Despite a slight update in recruitment activity in the second quarter 2024, hiring activity has been relatively slow in the first half of 2024.
StatsSA Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q2:2024
August 2024
In Q2 2024, South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 33.5%, up from 32.9% in Q1 2024. Employment decreased by 92,000, while unemployment increased by 158,000, bringing the unemployed to 8.4 million. The labor force grew by 66,000, and discouraged work-seekers rose by 147,000 (4.8%). The economically inactive population, excluding the discouraged, dropped by 75,000. Overall, the economically inactive population increased by 72,000, totaling 16.3 million. The expanded unemployment rate reached 42.6%, up 0.7 percentage points from Q1 2024.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report July 2024
August 2024
Local hiring activity remained at similar levels from May to June 2024, with a
slight increase of +1%.
Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -9%, compared to June 2023.
The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has
decreased by -6% compared to June 2022.
OfferZen: AI Skills and Imapct Data Report
July 2024
OfferZen’s 2024 AI Skills and Impact Data Report shows widespread AI tool usage among South African developers, enhancing productivity and enabling quicker high-impact work. The focus is shifting from technical skills to problem-solving and soft skills, with communication and teamwork becoming crucial due to the complexity of modern projects. Companies should assess these skills early in the hiring process. Mastering AI-related tools and principles is becoming increasingly essential for developers’ success.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report June 2024
July 2024
Hiring activity in South Africa remains volatile. After April every year there is usually an uptake in hiring activity, however May 2024 showed a slight decrease in hiring activity. This may be partly as a result of political instability and concerns leading up to and following the 2024 South Africa elections.
Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -10%, compared to May 2023. The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has decreased by -5% compared to May 2022.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report April 2024
Jun 2024
After a very slow start in 2024, hiring activity improved over the past month.
April 2024 saw the highest April activity for the past three years. Year-on-year, hiring activity increased by +4%, compared to April 2023. The trend for the two-year comparison reveals that recruitment activity has increased by +2% compared to April 2022.
Career Junction Employment Insights: 2024/Q1
May 2024
Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -11%, compared to Q1:2023. Over the past two years (Q1:2022 to Q1:2024) hiring activity has declined by -8.1%. Slowing hiring activity evident in the South African recruitment market may be partly attributed to current economic uncertainty. Economic instability or uncertainty, whether domestic or global, can dampen business confidence and investment, leading companies to be cautious about expanding their workforce. Factors such as fluctuations in commodity prices, political instability, or changes in government policies can all contribute to economic uncertainty.
StatsSA Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q1:2024
May 2024
In Q1 2024, South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.9%, with the number of unemployed increasing by 330,000 to 8.2 million. Employment grew by 22,000 to 16.7 million. The economically inactive population decreased by 215,000. Youth unemployment rose to 45.5%. Formal sector jobs increased by 56,000, while informal sector jobs fell by 100,000. Employment gains were seen in Trade, Manufacturing, and other sectors, but losses occurred in Community services, Construction, and Finance.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report Apr 2024
May 2024
Recruitment activity decreased from February to March 2024, which is unusual compared to the seasonal trend of the previous year. The South African recruitment market is clearly underperforming. This may be largely attributed to general concerns about political instability following the National Election on 29 May 2024.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report Mar 2024
April 2024
Recruitment activity increased from January to February 2024. Year-on-year, however, hiring activity decreased by -4%, compared to February 2023. There was also slightly lower recruitment activity compared to two years ago (-1%).
StatsSA Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q4:2023
March 2024
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the official unemployment rate in South Africa increased slightly to 32.1%, up from 31.9% in the previous quarter. This period saw a decrease in employed persons by 22,000 to 16.7 million, while the number of unemployed persons rose by 46,000 to 7.9 million. The count of individuals not economically active for reasons other than discouragement went up by 218,000 to 13.4 million, despite a decrease in discouraged work-seekers by 107,000, leading to a net increase of 111,000 in the not economically active population. The expanded unemployment rate slightly decreased to 41.1%.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report Feb 2024
March 2024
The report covers the current performance of the job market, identifying trending jobs and sectors. It provides a detailed snapshot of the Medical & Health sector, including candidate statistics and salary information. Additionally, it features a special focus on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on South Africa’s job market, highlighting the latest AI job trends. Finally, it offers a regional analysis of job market trends in three rotating provinces, providing a localized perspective on employment opportunities.
StatsSA Quarterly Employment Statistics Q4 2023
February 2024
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the official unemployment rate in South Africa increased slightly to 32.1%, up from 31.9% in the previous quarter. This period saw a decrease in employed persons by 22,000 to 16.7 million, while the number of unemployed persons rose by 46,000 to 7.9 million. The count of individuals not economically active for reasons other than discouragement went up by 218,000 to 13.4 million, despite a decrease in discouraged work-seekers by 107,000, leading to a net increase of 111,000 in the not economically active population. The expanded unemployment rate slightly decreased to 41.1%.
OfferZen State of the Developer Nation
February 2024
In 2023, the tech industry faced challenges due to a global economic downturn, with rising interest rates, reduced VC funding, and significant layoffs. However, the balance of power shifted back to companies, allowing them to regain control lost during the 2021 hiring boom. Salary growth slowed, remote work was cut, and job market competitiveness increased for developers. Despite these changes, there are signs of recovery, with fewer layoffs and more job openings. The industry is expected to leverage AI for future growth, offering a hopeful outlook.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report Q4 2023
January 2024
Pnet’s research reveals that the local job market experienced the same level of hiring activity over the past two years (from Q4:2021 to Q4:2023). Year-on-year, hiring activity has neither increased nor declined (0%).
The local job market saw a -1% decline ‘quarter-on-quarter’ in the fourth quarter of 2023. This was driven by a significant decreased in hiring activity in December.
Career Junction Employment Insights
January 2024
There was a decrease in recruitment activity from November to December 2023 (-6%). Year-on-year, hiring activity decreased by -8%, compared to December 2022. It should be noted that the December decrease in hiring activity was more significant than the seasonal trend for this time of year. December 2023 showed the lowest monthly recruitment activity over the last three years. The most significant hiring decreases during December were evident for roles in Finance, Business & Management, Sales, Manufacturing & Assembly as well as IT and Admin, Office & Support.
Career Junction Employment Insights
December 2023
There was a minimal uptake in recruitment activity from October to November 2023 (+1%). Year-on-year, hiring activity is at the same level as it was a year ago, compared to November 2022. Over the last three months hiring activity has increased for Restaurant & Hospitality, Architecture & Engineering, Finance and Business & Management professionals. On the other hand, hiring activity for Sales, Information Technology as well as Admin, Office & Support professionals has declined over the last three months.
OfferZen 2024 Software Developer Salary Benchmarking Report
December 2023
After one of the hardest funding years in a decade, widespread budget cuts, hiring stops and retrenchments, the tech hiring market now favours the employer. However, this reality has not yet reached all job seekers, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that finding the right fit has become any easier. This is made even harder for many teams working with less support and tighter hiring budgets. We’ve put together this salary report using incoming data from over 2990 South African developers who took part in our ongoing Developer Nation Survey.
Career Junction Employment Insights
November 2023
Following a significant decrease in recruitment during September, recruitment activity increased in October (+7%). This increase was driven by a moderate uptake in hiring activity for the Admin, Office & Support as well as IT and Finance sectors. Year-on-year, hiring activity is up by 6%, compared to October 2022. Although hiring activity increased for Admin, Office & Support and IT professionals over the past month, over the last three months hiring slowed down. The Business & Management sector also saw a 3-month decline in recruitment.
StatsSA Quarterly Employment Statistics Q3 2023
November 2023
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2023, the number of employed persons increased by 399 000 to 16,7 million, as compared to the second quarter of 2023. This is the eighth consecutive increase in employment since Q4:2021 and the first to surpass the pre-COVID employment levels of 16,4 million. Not only have employment levels shown improvement in the labour market, the volume of actual hours worked have also improved drastically post-COVID.
Career Junction Employment Insights
October 2023
Following an increase in recruitment during August, recruitment activity decreased significantly in September (-13%). Year-on-year, hiring activity is down by -12%, compared to September 2022. This downturn has been driven by a decline in hiring activity for Admin, Office & Support professionals.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report Q3 2023
October 2023
Pnet’s research reveals that the local job market saw a -3% decline ‘quarter-on-quarter’ in the third quarter of 2023. This was driven by a significant decreased in hiring activity in September. Year-on-year, hiring activity has declined by -3%. However, over the past two years (from Q3:2021 to Q3:2023) there has been a 14% growth in jobs.
Career Junction Employment Insights
September 2023
Following a dip in recruitment during July, recruitment activity increased by 6% in August. Year-on-year, hiring activity is up by 3%, compared to August 2022. Comparing hiring activity over the last three months with the previous three months, hiring activity increased by 6%. Increases in hiring activity were evident in the Business & Management, Medical & Health, and Building & Construction sectors. There was a decline in hiring activity in the Information Technology and Admin, Office & Support sectors.
StatsSA Quarterly Employment Statistics Q2 2023
September 2023
South Africa’s employment increased by 39,000 (0.4%) in Q2 2023, totaling 10,078,000, per Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Employment Statistics report. Gains were seen in community services, business services, mining, and electricity, while manufacturing, transport, trade, and construction posted declines.
Career Junction Employment Insights
August 2023
In July 2023 recruitment activity decreased by 9%. Year-on-year, hiring activity is down by 1%, compared to July 2022. Most sectors were affected by a noticeable decline in hiring activity during July. Major decreases in hiring activity were evident for Business & Management jobs, Finance jobs, IT jobs as well as Admin, Office & Support jobs. As this decrease happened in July, it is not visible in the three-month trend.
Pnet Jobs Market Trends Report Q2 2023
August 2023
In our latest report, we unpack salary trends for the second quarter of 2023. We also look at employment trends in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One of the challenges SMEs face is finding and hiring employees who are a good fit for their business and have the skills required to increase efficiency and business growth.
To this end, Pnet researched the recruitment needs of SMEs over the last 12 months. The findings revealed that Business & Management skills, Finance skills, Sales skills, Admin, Office & Support skills and Information Technology skills are most in demand across employers in the SME space.
Sanlam Transformation Gauge
July 2023
Now in its third year, the Sanlam Transformation Gauge is the only consolidated, sector-focused research report that takes a holistic measurement of economic transformation in South Africa, accounting for all elements of Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE).
The 2023 Sanlam Transformation Gauge unpacks what is working, what isn’t, and looks at how we can spark debate and drive new solutions to reinvigorate our collective efforts to actively and deliberately include all South Africans in the economy.
Career Junction Employment Insights
July 2023
In June 2023 recruitment activity increased by 10%. Year-on-year, hiring activity is up by 6%, compared to June 2022. This growth in hiring activity is being driven by a general uptake in recruitment, along with increases in hiring for the Finance and IT sectors as well as the Admin, Office & Support and Architecture & Engineering sectors. There were significant increases in hiring for the Building & Construction, Sales and Business & Management sectors over the last three months
Career Junction Employment Insights
June 2023
In May 2023 recruitment activity increased by 5%. Year-on-year, hiring activity is up by 3%, compared to May 2022. This growth in hiring activity is being driven by a general uptake in recruitment, along with significant increases in hiring for the Sales as well as Admin, Office & Support and Business & Management sectors.
Career Junction Employment Insights
June 2023
April 2023 saw a 1% dip in recruitment activity. Labour demand is generally lower every April as a result of public holidays and school holidays. However, hiring activity plunged 7% lower than a year ago.
Over the past month recruitment activity decreased across most sectors, with the most significant month-on-month decreases experienced in the Finance, Business & Management, and IT sectors. Since the decrease in hiring activity across these sectors is very recent, this trend is not reflected in the three-month analysis.
OfferZen State of the Software Developer Nation 2023
May 2023
The 2023 State of the Developer Nation report by OfferZen found that South African developers are in high demand and are seeing salary increases across the board. Juniors received the biggest increases since last year’s report with an average increase of 19.4%. Seniors saw an average salary increase of 6.2%.
The report also found that the most in-demand programming languages in South Africa are Java, Python, and JavaScript. The most in-demand tech skills are cloud computing, data science, and artificial intelligence.
Career Junction Employment Insights
April 2023
Hiring activity increased by 2% from March 2022 to March 2023 (year-on-year). Over the past month, recruitment activity has increased by 7%. This increase has been driven by growth in demand for Admin, Office & Support as well as Sales and Finance staff during the month of March 2023. There has also been increasing demand for Building & Construction and Warehousing & Logistics staff as well as Legal professionals.
