South Africa Grapples with a Drought of Cutting-Edge Tech Talent

• It is reported that South Africa faces a limited supply of specialist skills to adapt to the next wave of digital transformation
• It’s important for organisations to plan proactively to retain and attract these specialist skills
• South African organisations will face growing competition for in-demand specialists, including AI ethicists, quantum developers, digital sustainability analysts and more
• Briefly News spoke to Jessica Tandy, Executive Director at Bizmod, to get some insights

South Africa's workforce is changing fast, with new tech-focused jobs on the rise. The Bizmod Talent Report 2025 says companies that start planning now and secure these important skills will be better prepared for the next phase of digital transformation.

South African organisations expected to compete

Developers, architects, and project managers are still highly sought after, but Bizmod's latest research suggests that companies are now looking for skills that barely existed a few years ago. Jessica Tandy explained that by 2030, South African organisations are expected to compete for specialists such as AI ethicists, quantum developers, digital sustainability analysts, augmented workforce designers, and talent analytics experts.

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"These roles aren't just critical for businesses, but they also represent exciting career pathways for young professionals and graduates who want to future-proof their skills," she said.

She said that these emerging roles are already influencing how global companies manage technology, ethics, and compliance. Tandy noted that AI ethicists are becoming key in ensuring responsible use of artificial intelligence, quantum developers are helping advance cybersecurity and complex systems, and digital sustainability analysts are increasingly important for meeting carbon reporting and ESG requirements.

Create more training programmes

The report also noted that these roles create new opportunities for young South Africans who want to future-proof their careers, especially in high-growth areas like AI, cloud, ESG, and cybersecurity. The supply of these niche skills remains limited locally. Companies that slow down their planning risk falling behind as demand continues to grow.

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Tandy noted that to help close this growing skills gap, the report notes that companies will need to rethink how they develop and source talent. This includes investing in future-focused learning through certifications, cross-skilling, and specialised bootcamps, while also creating more agile training programmes in high-demand areas such as AI, cybersecurity, product design and data governance. Businesses are also encouraged to adopt flexible talent models, like Talent-as-a-Service, to meet urgent needs and to strengthen partnerships with universities and digital learning providers to build stronger pipelines of emerging talent.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Briefly News.

Source: Briefly News