South African employers report significant skills shortages in the fields of information security/cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML), big data/data science, data storage, DevOps and systems design and they are prioritising professional experience as an important attribute when selecting candidates. Meanwhile, local ICT practitioners are increasingly looking for remote opportunities with clients and employers overseas.

These are among the key findings of the 2024 Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) ICT skills survey prepared by Africa Analysis and sponsored by Software One Experts SA. The survey polled employers and ICT practitioners across South Africa.

Top in-demand skills

The 2024 survey revealed that 46% of organisations are currently prioritising information security/cybersecurity, 32% prioritise AI/ML and 19% have made big data/data science a priority. These areas are also where they are experiencing the greatest skills shortages:

• 27% of employers currently lack AI/ML skills and 32% expect to experience shortages in these skills in future
• 19% report current skills shortages in data science, 22% in data storage, 27% in information security/cyber security, 20% in DevOps, 19% in systems design and another 19% in business intelligence.

Not-for-profit organisations and state-owned enterprises seem to exhibit some notable differences in their ICT priorities and practices compared to enterprises in other sectors with state-owned enterprises prioritising technologies such as AI and ML and not-for-profit organisations focusing more on social media.

There has also been a shift in the most popular programming languages among respondents with Python emerging as the programming language that most respondents are using in their organisations, followed by JavaScript, Java, SQL and C#. This year, Java, which previously ranked as the programming language used by most respondents, was relegated to third position for the first time since 2012.

Brain drain worsens skills gap

Lack of adequate training, an insufficient pool of new graduates and an ongoing brain drain are exacerbating the skills gap, the study finds:

• 24% of employers point to migration of skilled labour from South Africa as a factor contributing to skills shortages
• Another 24% cite insufficient numbers of new graduates
• 26% find lack of training and education at basic level is the cause of skills shortages
• 21% believe rapid technological change is impacting skills demand and supply
• 65% experience a moderate or high impact on their businesses due to skills gaps.

Among practitioners, 49% are considering working remotely for an employer or client overseas while 9% plan to do so and 11% already do. Another 8% describe themselves as digital nomads.

Experience in demand

Africa Analysis says graduate degrees have given way to professional experience in the 2024 and 2022 ICT skills surveys as the most highly ranked attribute of potential recruits with 47% of employers in this year’s survey ranking experience as a key attribute for potential candidates, followed by 32% citing a graduate degree.

Africa Analysis SA MD Hloni Mokenela says: “In earlier editions of the skills survey, corporates indicated a preference for academic training as the main attribute they used when selecting new candidates. In recent years, however, professional experience was picked well ahead of the rest. This was partly due to graduates produced by the education system not being considered ‘job-ready’ and lacking some of the softer business, non-technical skills.”

Filling the gaps

The percentage of respondents that reported to be recruiting staff from overseas dropped to 36% in 2024, down from 50% in 2022, and over half (56%) of the corporates do not outsource their ICT functions to overseas resources.

In an effort to retain skilled staff and build capacity, employers are offering professional development programmes and performance bonuses, followed by flexible schedules and increased basic pay. The study found that flexible schedules have become the most used policy offered by 44% of employers. Another 41% use development programmes, which employers prefer as short courses via online training platforms and academic institutions to meet their staff development needs.

Practitioners are also taking charge of their own professional development: at least 38% of respondents rely on online training platforms such as Coursera, Skillshare and Udemy with some pursuing professional certifications (25%) and vendor certifications (20%) to improve their technical skills. Another 97% of respondents feel they need to reskill themselves in view of the changing digital environment.

For new recruitment, 23% of employers look to universities of technology, 21% to universities, 19% use employment agencies and 9% seek new recruits from private training providers. Another 9% source new talent from web/internet platforms such as LinkedIn.

Education and training to remain relevant

IITPSA CEO Tony Parry says: “As we have seen in previous skills surveys, lack of progress in broadening STEM education and training programmes not linked to employment continue to contribute to the skills gaps challenges.”

The latest survey indicates a need for coordinated efforts to make candidates more work-ready when they enter the labour force as well as more qualified educators to help academic institutions produce a larger pipeline of ICT professionals. While there are numerous training and upskilling schemes and a large number of providers offering certifications and qualifications, it seems these initiatives are not creating the required skills resources.

Mokenela adds: “There is an acceptance by practitioners and corporations of the need for ICT professionals to continuously invest in updating and refreshing their skills in order to remain relevant. While the majority of corporations and practitioners seem to favour a tertiary qualification to provide foundation skills, short courses from online platforms and tertiary institutions are preferred for helping to keep upgrading their skills.”