The latest CJI Job reports, released by CareerJunction provide an in-depth snapshot of online labour dynamics and recruitment solutions within the various sectors based on the 3rd Quarter of 2009.
"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.
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 long run," says Kris Jarzebowski, CEO of CareerJunction.
Various sectors are currently experiencing an array of challenges. Some of the biggest concerns at the moment 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 as a result 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 newly released CJI Job Reports reveal major skills shortages within the following occupational sectors in South Africa:
Building & Contruction
- Material Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Sanitary Works
Engineering
- Electrical & Electronic Engineering
FMCG, Retail & Wholesale
- Production & Manufacturing
- Sales
- Branch & Store Management
- General Management
Information Technology
- Development & Software
- Software Testing
- Business Analysis
Telecommunication
- Web Administration & Design
- GSM Engineering
- Fibre Optics
Manufacturing, Production & Trades
- Draughtsmanship
- Industrial Design
- Fitting & Machining
- Metallurgy
- Chemical Manufacturing
- Process & Operations Management
- Trades & Commerce
- General Management
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 at the moment. CareerJunction findings reveal an imbalance in the IT, Telecommunication, Building & Construction, Engineering and Manufacturing sectors. These create difficult recruitment for certain 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.
Regional Trends
The uneven distribution of professionals across various provinces in South Africa also creates a difficult recruitment environment in areas where labour demand is high. Some industries are very badly affected by this phenomenon and face challenging recruitment conditions in certain occupational fields.
Businesses are urged to act dynamically to current market trends and implement effective recruitment strategies where necessary in order to sustain economic growth and prevent future difficulties.
The full CJI reports which provide an in-depth insight into various sectors as well as efficient recruitment solutions are available on the CJI website: www.cji.co.za.
About CareeJunction
CareerJunction, an Avusa Media Company is the leading Online Recruitment solution in South Africa. CareerJunction provides an online service to recruiters and career seekers and has been at the forefront of technological developments in the Online Recruitment space in South Africa since 1997.
CareerJunction is ranked South Africa's #1 website and offers a web service through which recruiters and career seekers interact in a secure and completely confidential environment. Around 1,000 companies advertise their jobs on CareerJunction and make use of the variety of services offered over and above the normal Job Board service.
CareerJunction Facts:
- Carries over 840,000 complete Resumes and over 1.3 million registered CareerSeekers;
- Receives over 400,000 unique users per month;
- Generates around 13 million page impressions monthly;
- Serves approximately 1,000 subscribing advertisers;
- Advertises around 45,000 jobs monthly on behalf of its clients;
- Processes over 800,000 job applications per month.
CareerJunction is TRUSTe certified and a member of the Online Publishers Association. All website statistics are audited by Nielsen NetRatings.
