Work opportunities are set to increase for South Africans in 2025, with several work-from-home jobs in high demand.
According to Pnet’s latest Job Market Trends Report for 2024, slowing recruitment activity continued in November 2024.
Year-on-year, hiring activity dropped by 10%, compared to November 2023.
Moreover, the two-year comparison trend reveals that recruitment activity has decreased by 10% compared to November 2022.
Despite the overall drop in employment, Pnet highlighted regional job trends, which showed that there are still jobs that are hiring remote work employees.
According to its data, the top in-demand professionals include:
- Business & Management
- IT
- Finance
Pnet noted that hiring for remote-working Business and Management professionals has increased by 37% over the last year
That said, IT staff saw a decline of 22% year-on-year. However, this decreasing trend in recruitment for IT staff has been prevalent across most regions across the globe.
REDi Holbourne Recruitment Group previously said that 2025 should see an increase in hiring activity following a tough 2024.
It noted that there was a slowdown in recruitment activity at the start of 2024 amidst an economic downtown and the General Election in May.
The recruitment consultancy stressed that flexible working arrangements are crucial for enticing potential employees, with work outside the office highly desired.
On top of the work-from-home opportunities, Pnet’s regional trends report showed that the Free State has the following jobs in high demand:
- Business & Management
- Finance
- Sales
- Admin, Office & Support
Although year-on-year recruitment for sales staff has decreased by 41% in the Free State, hiring
activity grew by 13% for Business & Management staff in the province.
Moreover, top in-demand professionals in the Eastern Cape include the following:
- Business & Management
- Finance
- IT
Year-on-year, the Eastern Cape has experienced a decrease in hiring activity within Sales, IT and Business & Management.
That said, year-on-year hiring activity has grown by 7% for Architecture & Engineering professionals in this province.
Job market on the whole
Pnet’s analysis also looked at some of the most in-demand jobs in the whole country, which include the following:
- Secretary – Admin, Office & Support
- Graphic / Print / Packaging Design – Design, Media & Arts
- Team Leader & Supervisor – Business & Management
- IT Project Administration / Management – Information Technology
- Mechanical Engineering – Architecture & Engineering
Pnet also noted that sector-specific activity trends can provide valuable insights into the local job market and South African economy.
It said that stable and increasing recruitment activity indicates confidence in the local economy and business growth.
The following sectors saw large increases in hiring activity
Medical & Health
- Hiring activity for Medical & Health professionals has increased since Q1:2024.
- Month-on-month, recruitment activity for professionals in this sector increased by 16%.
- Year-on-year, hiring activity in this sector has increased by 18%
The increases in medical jobs come despite fears surrounding the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act.
With the prospect of the government limiting healthcare choices in the country, the NHI has led to fears that doctors and other healthcare professionals will quit the country.
Architecture & Engineering
- From October to November 2024, Pnet said that there was a small uptake in hiring activity for Architecture & Engineering professionals. increasing by 3%
- Year-on-year, hiring activity in this sector has increased by 5%.
