South Africa faces a growing mismatch between digital skills training and employer demand, with shortages in software development, networking and cybersecurity despite high unemployment.
South Africa faces shortages in critical technology skills even as 8.5 million people are unemployed, with a World Bank report pointing to a mismatch between what employers need and what the education and training system produces.
The report, From Demand to Delivery: Strengthening South Africa’s Digital Skills Pipeline, identified shortages particularly in software development, network engineering and cybersecurity.
The World Bank described the problem as a “structural misalignment” between labour-market demand and the skills produced by the education and training system.
Of the 350 occupations classified as critical by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), 32 are information and communication technology (ICT) occupations spanning National Qualifications Framework levels five to eight, covering applied and technician-level roles through to degrees and advanced qualifications.
