“Where Are Employers Looking?”: Top 5 Jobs SA Employers Struggle To Fill Revealed in Xpatweb Survey

• A new Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey of 381 major South African employers revealed the roles companies are struggling the hardest to find
• Engineers topped the list at 38%, nearly doubling since 2024, while artisans and IT specialists tied for second and third place at 22%
• South Africans online questioned where employers were actually looking, with many pointing to a brain drain sending skilled workers abroad

South Africa is running short of skilled workers across some of its most critical industries, and a new survey has laid bare just how serious the problem has become.

Jandre de Beer shared a data-driven breakdown on Facebook on 10 September 2026, drawing from the latest Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey, which canvassed 381 large South African employers. The figures reflect not counted vacancies but the share of employers who described each role as genuinely difficult to fill.

Engineers top SA's most wanted list

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Engineers claimed the top spot by a wide margin. A staggering 38% of surveyed employers said they could not find enough of them, up sharply from 23% in 2024. The country's building and industrial ambitions are outpacing its ability to train the professionals needed to deliver them.

Tied in second and third place, both at 22%, are artisans such as electricians and millwrights, and IT specialists including data analysts and software developers. South Africa has set a target of producing 30,000 new artisans annually by 2030 but is currently falling well short of that goal. The IT talent gap is being worsened by a steady brain drain, with skilled developers and analysts leaving for better salaries in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Senior finance managers also in short supply

Coming in fourth at 19%, senior finance managers and executives proved nearly twice as difficult to source compared to 2024, when only 10% of employers flagged the role as hard to fill. Rounding out fifth place, both at 15%, are foreign language speakers and media and marketing professionals.

The Xpatweb survey covered nine out of the top ten roles becoming harder to fill within a single year, painting a picture of a widening skills gap across multiple sectors.

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View the Facebook video below:

Mzansi reacts to the skills shortage

South Africans had plenty to say in the comments on his page:

Vuyisile Mbedla asked:

"Electricians really, what about those graduates who come out of Universities every year?"

Lu Thando wrote:

"Electricians and Millwrights???"

Reva Hariram shared:

"Have a graduate engineer sitting at home for the last 10 months."

Claudia Smith noted:

"All the engineers are in Brisbane!"

Veekay Zulu questioned:

"Where are the employers looking?"

Gregory Gerber simply said:

"All are running."

More Briefly News stories on jobs

• A South African cruise ship security officer celebrated helping two compatriots secure Carnival Cruise Line jobs, prompting thousands to seek her assistance with finding work abroad.
• A TikToker explained why South Africa produces highly skilled workers but struggles to create enough entry-level jobs, prompting theories from frustrated locals.
• A South African man living in Bali shared overlooked LinkedIn strategies he used to land remote overseas jobs within weeks.

Source: Briefly News