If you're a professional in South Africa‚ or have any skills for that matter‚ the world is literally your oyster, it seems.
The Department of Higher Education’s latest list of occupations in high demand lists hundreds of positions for which it says there are either shortages in the labour market or have shown strong employment growth or are likely to show growth in future.
Just for professionals alone‚ there are some 164 occupations listed – ranging from engineers in all fields to educators at all levels and judges.
There are also the usual high number of medical or health professionals in high demand.
Information and communication technology (ICT) continues to remain popular where professionals are in demand‚ as does the business world.
Managers and technically-skilled people are also keenly sought in almost every field.
Some of the more unusual occupations in high demand in this category include archivists‚ astronomers and air pollution analysts.
If you’re a skilled artisan like a bricklayer‚ plumber‚ toolmaker‚ painter‚ electrician or fitter and turner‚ then you’re also in big demand.
The primary purpose of the List of Occupations in High Demand‚ according to the Department of Higher Education‚ is to support the planning processes of the department with respect to the post-school education and training system‚ particularly in relation to enrolment planning‚ resource allocations‚ career advice and qualifications development.
“Information about occupations in high demand provides useful insights into the skills needs of the economy and mismatches between qualifications and occupations – a problem that is particularly important to address‚ given that the South African labour market is characterised by high unemployment on the one hand‚ and skills shortages on the other‚” the department says. — Tiso Black Star Group Digital