Most in-demand IT jobs in South Africa and how much they pay

Software development, data analysis, data warehousing, and network administration are among the most in-demand skills in South Africa, according to CareerJunction’s latest Employment Insights report.

Information Technology (IT) skills, in general, are highly sought-after in Gauteng, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape, with the former offering the highest salaries across various sectors.

CareerJunction’s report is s based on data collected from around 5,000 of the country’s most prominent recruiters.

“Gauteng is the province with the highest economic activity. In terms of labour demand, IT and Finance, as well as Business & Management professionals, are currently the most highly sought-after,” it said.

“As a result of high demand, Gauteng tends to offer the highest and most attractive salaries across various sectors in South Africa.”

A breakdown of the most in-demand skills in the three provinces is provided in the table below.

While hiring activity in the Western Cape is lower than in Gauteng, IT skills contribute more to recruitment in the province.

Software development systems and network administration expertise are highly sought-after in all three provinces.

Data analysis and warehousing expertise are among the most in-demand IT skills in the Western Cape and Gauteng.

Market-related salaries

CareerJunction also provided market-related salary ranges for the most in-demand IT skills in its report.

Solutions architect skills draw the highest salary offerings of the most in-demand IT skills in the country.

Companies are willing to pay people with such expertise between R54,186 and R67,901 a month.

Data engineers and test analysts are also in the top three sought-after skills in South Africa, with companies offering up to R64,585 and 44,817, respectively, to candidates with such expertise.

Market-related salary ranges for the three most sought-after IT skills in South Africa are listed below.

• Solutions architect — R54,186 to R67,901 per month
• Data engineer — R48,496 to R64,585 per month
• Test analyst — R35,921 to R44,817 per month

Gauteng holds the highest proportion of South Africa’s IT hiring activity, with 64% of candidates residing in the province.

The Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape are the runners-up. However, they are home to only 14%, 9%, and 3% of candidates.

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Most in-demand IT jobs in South Africa and how much they pay