Bruce Turvey | Executive | Change Logic | mail me |
In South Africa, we sit with a paradox that should concern every business leader. On one hand, unemployment remains stubbornly high, particularly among young people. On the other hand, organisations are grappling with a deepening skills crisis.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 suggests that 60% of South African businesses face critical shortages. It warns that without urgent action, these gaps will compromise transformation by 2030. Yet, within this national dilemma lies a hidden layer that few acknowledge: the career blind spot. It represents a growing career gap crisis that slowly drains productivity and undermines competitiveness.
What the career gap crisis looks like
Too many career pathways remain invisible to those entering the workforce. From my vantage point in change consultancy, I see the consequences every day. Most graduates are still channelled into narrow, traditional roles.
Meanwhile, functions like change management and consultancy, the very disciplines that help organisations adapt and thrive in volatility, are chronically undersupplied. When young people are not exposed to these options, businesses lose out on future-ready skills.
Individuals also miss out on fulfilling and impactful careers. This persistent lack of exposure reflects the career blind spot that keeps many capable professionals from reaching industries where their skills could make the most difference.
Change management and consultancy in action
At its core, change management is the art and science of helping organisations navigate disruption. I have worked alongside banks reshaping their digital infrastructure and government departments under pressure to deliver better services with fewer resources.
In both cases, the consultancy role is to bridge the gap between strategy and execution while aligning people, processes, and technology. It is work that requires empathy and resilience as much as analytical precision. Done well, it multiplies the value of every other skill in the system by making transformation stick.
The absence of awareness about these roles has real economic costs. Businesses left without this capability accumulate “technical debt”, inefficient systems, poorly adopted tools and disengaged employees. Productivity declines, resilience weakens and South Africa continues to rank low in global competitiveness.
It is not that we lack talent. It is that the career blind spot prevents us from directing that talent toward the levers that drive adaptation and growth.
The qualities that drive success
From my experience, thriving in consultancy does not depend on a single qualification. It is a mindset built on curiosity, the ability to listen deeply, and the courage to guide people through uncertainty. These are qualities that can be nurtured if we start presenting consultancy as a legitimate and attractive career path rather than an afterthought.
For young people, it offers variety, influence and the chance to shape meaningful outcomes. For organisations, it provides the capability to withstand disruption and emerge stronger.
Closing the career gap
This is why leaders, educators and policymakers must broaden the conversation around careers. The career gap crisis is not just a youth unemployment issue. It is also a competitiveness issue that limits national growth.
If we want to close the skills gap, we must widen the lens through which talent sees its options. By shining a light on overlooked fields like change consultancy, we can build a workforce prepared not only for today’s vacancies but for tomorrow’s challenges.
This will not solve every skills issue, but it strengthens the resilience and agility needed to compete in a world defined by constant change. Addressing the career blind spot is therefore not optional. It is essential for creating a sustainable, competitive South African workforce.
