The latest job market data points to renewed growth in tech hiring, spurred by cloud and artificial intelligence adoption.
Demand for tech professionals in South Africa surged in the second half of 2025, signalling a positive turnaround for the sector.
This is according to Pnet’s Job Market Trends Report for November 2025, which shows signs of recovery for the IT sector following a prolonged slump in job vacancies from 2022, through to the first half of 2025.
The report is based on empirical data sourced from The Stepstone Group − a global job tech company that runs recruitment platforms in several countries, including Pnet in South Africa.
The analysis shows that technology vacancies increased by 18% year-on-year for the year up to end-October 2025. Vacancies increased 10% month-on-month from September to October 2025, signalling a sustained uplift in the sector.
Software developer returned to the top of the list of the most demanding jobs in SA in October this year for the first time in three-and-a-half years. From 2018 until March 2022, software developer was the most in-demand job role in SA every month. This changed as tech hiring weakened worldwide after the COVID-19 lockdowns came to an end.
Says Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet, an online recruitment platform: “We are recording a notable shift in the market following several years of local and international headlines about large-scale layoffs across IT companies.
“The need for experienced and specialised tech professionals stabilised at a lower level for a while. Now, the latest job market data points to renewed growth in technology, spurred by cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.”
Pnet’sanalysis shows that not all tech roles are growing at the same pace. Several specialist roles saw a significant uptick in vacancy levels in 2025.
Business analyst roles show the strongest growth in the tech space. Since January 2025, vacancies for business analysts have doubled, reflecting a 102% increase.
Second on the list are data-focused roles, including data scientists, data analysts and data warehousing specialists. Vacancies for these professionals have increased by 48% since January 2025.
In third place are systems/network administrators. Since the start of 2025, vacancies for these infrastructure specialists have risen by 38%.
Lastly, vacancies for software developers are up 34% overall since January 2025.
“Business analyst is the role that shows the highest relative growth in advertised vacancies. Software developer demand is not growing as fast, but because demand is already at such a high base, it is the most in demand job role in South Africa overall,” notes the report.
Meanwhile, the CareerJunction Employment Insights Report for the third quarter of 2025 shows the number of vacancies across sectors decreased by 1.5% year-on-year.
However, vacancy volumes in the IT sector have seen the first quarterly uptake, of +7%. Roles that saw an increase in vacancies include: database design / development /administration; systems / network administration; IT project administration / management and software development, according to CareerJunction.
Pnet’s top 10 tech jobs in the current job market
The following job roles stand out as the most in-demand tech positions today, highlighting where hiring activity is concentrated and where talent shortages are likely to persist:
Business analyst: Analyses processes, identifies improvement opportunities and translates requirements into clear, actionable specifications for technical teams.
Data analyst: Interprets and transforms raw data into insights that support decision-making across the organisation.
Data engineer: Designs, builds and maintains the data infrastructure that allows organisations to store, process and access large volumes of information.
Software developer: Builds, tests and maintains applications that power business operations, customer experiences and digital products.
Full stack developer: Works across both front-end and back-end systems, with versatility to build complete applications from user interface to server logic.
Java developer: Specialises in building robust, scalable software systems using the Java programming language.
Data scientist: Extracts strategic insights from large, complex datasets using advanced analytics, machine learning and statistical modelling.
IT project manager: Leads the planning, execution and delivery of technology projects.
C# developer: Builds applications using Microsoft’s .NET framework, often supporting financial systems, enterprise software and web-based solutions.
Scrum master: Facilitates agile ways of working, enabling teams to collaborate effectively and deliver incremental value.
Bates concludes: “Demand for tech talent is rising again and our data shows recruiters where competition for scarce skills is set to intensify. Employers who move early to streamline hiring processes, strengthen their employer value proposition, and create attractive benefits and work conditions, will be best positioned to secure scarce talent as the sector continues to recover.
“For jobseekers, the data shows strong long-term career pathways in core and high-growth tech occupations. From Pnet’s perspective, the strengthening of tech hiring is an encouraging sign for the broader labour market, and an important indicator of growing investment in digital capability across industries.”
