Tag: critical skills

Amid the global race for critical skills, South Africa’s economic growth hinges on its ability to attract and retain top talent. Companies increasingly report challenges in finding these professionals locally, with the added difficulty of sourcing skilled workers with the right combination of work experience and qualifications.

On 29 May 2025, the Department of Employment and Labour published South Africa’s White Paper on the National Labour Migration Policy. The document outlines the government’s official approach to managing cross-border labour mobility. It also sets the framework for how foreign skills will be accessed in the future. The new labour migration policy will shape business decisions for years to come.

Cabinet announced on 28 May 2025 that it has approved both the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) 2025 White Paper and the Employment Services Amendment Bill, 2021 (ESAB). These will now proceed to implementation and submission to Parliament.

Everyone understands that, in order for a retailer to be competitive, it must invest in the best technology to remove friction for customers and employees. Retailers must also provide the agility and capability to take advantage of big events such as Black Friday, improve operational efficiencies, and build long-term customer loyalty. However, many retailers have discovered that a technology solution decision is far more complex than it would seem. Therefore, instead of simply adopting new technologies, they should be investing in self-enablement.

South Africans are getting poorer as wage increases lag behind inflation as the "Great Resignation" trend continues to grip employers. South African employers expect to award wage increases of 4% to 6% in the next 12-month period, which is substantially below the current 7% inflation rate, denting employee disposable income and placing pressure on companies to find new ways to keep staff engaged and retain critical skills.

Over two years beyond the pandemic, the skills gap remains high, affecting productivity. Leaders now focus on leveraging the full potential of data, technology and people to speed transformation and growth. They've put it at the top of their agenda, and according to our research, it's the priority.

The massive surge in cybercrime, the ever-increasing number of threat vectors, and a critical skills shortage has left organisations feeling more vulnerable to cyberattacks than ever before. With exponentially more ransomware incidents being reported than there are skilled cybersecurity professionals available, progressive businesses are looking to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to close the gap.

The Employment Services Amendment Bill (ESAB) and the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP), which are open for commentary, will have a material impact on workforce strategies and design. The reason for this lies in the fact that the Minister of Labour will be empowered to set quotas for representation of foreign nationals after having taken scarce and critical skills into account and based on the SA national labour market goals which include employment creation and skills development.

The government’s latest critical skills list includes the occupations of 'Tax Professional', 'External Auditor' and 'Forensic Accountant'. The full list comprises 101 occupation codes and these critical skills are open to South Africans and foreign nationals that meet the skills requirements.