Skill shortages in critical industries

“The lack of good skills in South Africa is putting great pressure on businesses. These skills gaps can also have adverse effects on recruitment conditions once markets revive and labour demand starts to increase. Therefore, staff retention is critical to businesses in the midst of the skills shortage situation,” says Kris Jarzebowski, CEO of CareerJunction.

“Companies should make a conscious effort to facilitate the necessary training and educational system that promotes the acquiring of further skills as well as utilise their staff in a more creative manner. Implementing training initiatives as well as employment incentives might prove more successful and cost effective in the end.”

Sectors most hit

Various sectors are currently experiencing an array of challenges. Some of the biggest concerns now include an imbalance of labour supply and demand across certain occupational fields, job types as well as across skill level categories in these professions. The current skills gaps are believed to be because of limited training and education facilities as well as a lack of work experience.

The imbalance of supply and demand for skilled professionals is a major concern, particularly within certain occupational fields where recruiters are struggling to find suitable talent and in some cases businesses are forced to participate in nationwide skills programmes in order to train and up-skill professionals at lower level.

The reports reveal major skills shortages within the following occupational sectors in South Africa: building & construction; engineering; FMCG, retail & wholesale; IT; telecommunication; manufacturing, production & trades

Job type trends

An imbalance of labour supply and demand across the various job types is another problem that the South African labour market is facing now. The findings reveal an imbalance in the IT, telecommunication, building & construction, engineering and manufacturing sectors, which create difficult recruitment conditions for some professionals. Businesses that specialise in these fields are struggling to fill certain job type positions and in some cases alternative employment options have to be offered; for example certain industries should consider offering more contract positions than permanent, or vice versa.

The full CJI reports, which provide an in-depth insight into various sectors as well as efficient recruitment solutions, are available on the website: www.cji.co.za.