Tech, engineering, and leadership: South Africa’s top 10 most in-demand jobs

702’s John Perlman speaks with HR specialist, Boniwe Dunster.

Listen below:

Technical skills, industry-specific expertise, and leadership abilities are still in high demand, 

Career Junction’s Employment Insights Report for the second quarter of 2025 revealed that roles in IT and AI are gaining traction across the employment landscape.

Vacancies have fallen by 4.2% year-on-year, with an overall decline of 11.1% over the past two years.

But despite the decline, there are still several opportunities for those with technical skills, industry-specific expertise, and leadership skills.  

Here are the top 10 fastest-growing jobs in South Africa (from 2021 to 2025), according to Career Junction:

1. Civil or Structural engineer (+232%)
2. Mechanical engineer (+142%)
3. Payroll and wage officer (+78%)
4. Tool or die makers (+78%)
5. Graphic designers (+63%)
6. Electrical and Electronic equipment technicians (+57%)
7. Tax specialists (+33%)
8. Business Developers (+23%)
9. Senior managers (+23%)
10. Executive managers or directors (+14%)

“This is driven by the geopolitics, by the economy and what is actually in demand at that point and time.”

- Boniwe Dunster, HR specialist

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the discussion