The CareerJunction Index

Examines Best Career Choices for You

The CareerJunction Index (CJI) has been established due to a lack of updated and accurate online labour market information in South Africa. The CJI is the first index of its kind that directly monitors the online labour market in South Africa by examining supply and demand trends across all industries. The CJI data is sourced from the CareerJunction website, where over 800 of the countrys top recruiters (both agencies and corporate companies) advertise their vacant positions to more than 1.6 million career seekers. With the Internet becoming an increasingly popular method of finding a job and sourcing candidates for positions, the CareerJunction Index provides HR professionals, recruitment agencies and career seekers with valuable insights into online labour trends in South Africa.

The CJI provides insights into the online labour market dynamics

The current online labour market trends; Online labour demand trends; Online labour supply trends; Growing and shrinking industries and occupations; Identifies skill shortages; Analysis of labour cycles; and Identifies strategies to alleviate the effect of a decreasing supply of candidates.

To download the CJI Executive Summary each month visit www.cji.co.za.

www.cji.co.za

Industries in Top Demand

The graph below indicates industries in terms of major demand ( jobs being advertised within specific industry sectors). Industries Displaying Major Demand (Demand > 2%)
Finance FMCG Engineering Information Technology Manufacturing 2% 7% 12% 17% 22% 27% 32% 37%

The graph provides career seekers with a good indication of the industries that are in high demand of labour. Online demand for labour is remarkably high in the Finance industry The Finance industry currently constitutes more than 32% of online recruitment activity. This is followed by the FMCG, Retail & Wholesale industry where nearly 22% of online recruitment activity takes place. The Engineering, Information Technology and Manufacturing, Production & Trades industries also account for a high percentage of online labour demand.

Before choosing a career path, there are some important factors to consider such as:

Is there a demand for those professionals? What is the competition like in the job market? What are my potential earnings within this industry? Is there potential for me to grow?

High demand for labour generally means that businesses are in dire need of those specific skills. This is very often attributable to a lack of suitable candidates in the job market. Possessing a highly required set of skills adds various benefits to your career including many employment opportunities, little competition in the job market, opportunity for growth and in some cases, lucrative salary offerings.

www.cji.co.za

Industries in Top Demand

The CJIs statistics focus on labour supply and demand trends. By comparing these, career seekers can gain an insight into current employment trends and labour statistics for various industry sectors. This can aid career seekers in understanding the conditions which they may face when seeking employment in a particular industry sector. Where recruitment is difficult, finding employment may be easy. The opposite is seen for industries where recruitment is easy. Career seekers generally face tough competition in industry sectors where recruitment is easy and seeking employment is more challenging. Below is a visual illustration of the overall online labour market situation, taking into account the amount of active career seekers and the amount of advertised jobs on the CareerJunction website.
Less than 5 potential career seekers per job advert Recruitment Very Difficult

Between 5 and 10 potential career seekers per job advert Engineering FMCG, Retail & Wholesale Between 10 and 20 potential career seekers per job advert Motor Mining Design Marketing Human Resources & Recruitment Distribution, Warehousing & Freight Beauty 10.46 10.92 10.97 11.24 11.53 12.07 12.41 5.37 5.58

Recruitment Difficult

Information Technology Finance Recruitment Moderate Sales Botanical Petrochemical Medical Media Manufacturing, Production & Trades Agriculture Legal Recruitment Easy

6.75 8.00

13.67 13.70 14.02 14.80 15.19 17.06 17.54 19.01

Between 20 and 30 potential career seekers per job advert Building & Construction Telecommunication 23.14 27.28

Hospitality & Restaurant Social & Community

28.74 29.93

More than 30 potential career seekers per job advert Science & Technology Business & Management Property Transport & Aviation Travel & Tourism Maritime 31.69 32.99 33.35 33.72 34.65 39.36

Recruitment Very Easy

Safety, Security & Defence Arts & Entertainment Admin, Office & Support Government & Local Government Sport & Fitness Education

41.09 55.98 63.42 84.58 89.98 94.01

www.cji.co.za

The high demand for labour in the Information Technology; Engineering; Finance and FMCG, Retail & Wholesale industries creates a limited supply pool. As a result, recruiters struggle to find suitable candidates for jobs. Presently, recruiters have access to less than 10 potential candidates per advertised vacancy within these industries. This creates an ideal employment environment for career seekers, who face very little competition on the job market. The opposite is seen across industries that display easy recruitment conditions. Professionals who specialise in these fields face tough competition on the job market as supply volumes are high and there are many professionals who hold the required skills. For example, someone who specialises in the fields of Travel & Tourism may have a hard time in finding employment since he/she will be one of 34.65 potential candidates for any one particular job vacancy. The youth are therefore advised to pursue their studies within a field where a lack of labour exists due to South Africas urgent need for those specific skills.

What is a Scarce Skill / Skills Shortage?

A shortfall in the number of workers with the skills needed to fill the jobs currently available. A skills shortage can be caused by a lack of education and vocational training, or by wider social and economic factors such as new technological developments. A skills shortage may affect a region, an industry, or a whole country. Skills shortages of this type need to be addressed at national level through effective manpower planning and the development of strategies for adult education and vocational training. An organisation may suffer from a skills shortage as a result of poor recruitment and employee retention policies, or through inadequate provision of training and employee development opportunities. South Africa suffers from a number of skills shortages. Some of the prominent skills shortages in South Africa are found within the Engineering, Information Technology, Finance and FMCG, Retail & Wholesale industries. Demand for labour is particularly high within these fields, however qualified professionals are scarce, thus the country is in dire need of these skills. South Africa has a very strong focus on skills development within these sectors, particularly since the introduction of affirmative action and BEE policies. The government spends billions of Rands each year on skills development and more and more businesses are becoming active participants. As mentioned previously, entering an industry which is considered to be in short supply of labour presents various benefits to your career, including many employment opportunities, little competition on the job market, opportunity for growth and in some cases, lucrative salary offerings.

By acquiring a scarce skill, you are making a positive contribution to the countrys skills needs!

www.cji.co.za

Below is a breakdown of the various industry sectors and related occupations that show evidence of skills shortages:
Information Technology HR & Recruitment Manufacturing, Production & Trades

Development & Software Software Testing Business Analysis Telecommunication

Employee Benefits Administration Employee & Industrial Relations Human Resources Consulting Recruitment & Selection General Management

Draughtsmanship Industrial Design Artisanship Metallurgy Fabrication & Production Process & Operations Management

Web Administration & Design GSM Engineering Finance

Motor Assembling & Manufacturing Automotive Engineering Electrical & Electronic Works Parts Distribution Sales Service & Administration General Management

FMCG, Retail & Wholesale Production & Manufacturing Operations (Control & Planning) Quality Control & Assurance Sales Branch & Store Management Client Services General Management

Accounts Payable & Receivable Accounting Chartered Accounting Cost Accounting Internal Auditing Payroll & Wages Purchasing & Procurement Taxation Investment Banking Risk Management Acquisition & Leverage Management Asset Management Portfolio Management Treasury Management Actuary Insurance Administration & Sales Insurance Advisory Underwriting Financial Management

Mining

Building & Construction

Artisanship Minerals & Metals Mining Engineering Maintenance & Planning Safety & Environment Team Supervision General Management

Architecture Quantity Surveying Quality Control & Assurance Civil Engineering Structural Engineering Material Engineering Sanitary Works Artisanship Electrical Works

Engineering

Procurement, Supply Chain & Logistics General Management

Electrical & Electronic Engineering

www.cji.co.za