I’ve been doing IT recruitment for just over 4 years now and every time I get a new job order I am more shocked than before. I mean let’s be honest, yes South Africa has its up’s and downs when it comes to employment and the legislation's that come with them, but my shock and awe comes from what corporate entities believe to be market (or even well paid) salaries for a skill that is not only desperately needed in South Africa, but also a skill that companies need to be able to compete on at an International level.

I believe the time has come and gone where companies can try and get a “Premium blockbuster movie” but wanting to pay the equivalent of a “Sharknado 4” movie.  Companies need to understand that when looking to employ an IT professional, whether it’s a Developer, Technical Engineer or an Analyst, they are not only employing a new staff member but also investing in a stronger loyalty and skillset for the company.  By doing this, the candidate that is being brought in will be able to offer his skills and expertise to the company, which does not just save the company money on having to outsource this skill, but is also able to assist with conducting needs analysis on new systems, infrastructure and upgrade software, which would need to be implemented to allow the company to work at optimum capacity.

The time has come for companies to recognise that the Information Technology sector is the sector with the highest demand for skilled people within South Africa, yet this is also the industry with a serious lack of skilled professionals.

Picture Above: Taken from the 2017 CareerJunction Market analysis (This is a analysis done Nationwide on different sectors)

That being said, if we look at the market in South Africa at the moment we are faced with a serious disproportion on skills that we have and needs we need to be filled with those skills.

Looking at the market in Kwazulu-Natal on what jobs are available and what is “Market related for Durban” I believe that there is a serious disconnect.  If the market is changing in Durban and Kwazulu-Natal where you have your international Telecommunications and IT companies, shouldn’t we be paying salaries that are market related based on skills and not based on geographic area?  If a company is looking to employ the best Developers and the best Engineers that are specialists in their fields then they should be paying salaries that justify their skills and not their geographic locations.

Pictures Above: The images above highlight what is market related salaries within South Africa and the trends that follow based on geographical locations. Images taken from the 2017 market related Salary Survey from CareerJunction.

As shown in the images, I think it’s time that companies see the value in employing skilled IT professionals and take the time to invest in their skills development.  Also move away from paying under market related salaries because of their locations.  If we require the same skills in Durban as in Johannesburg or Cape Town, we should then be working towards paying similar packages.

The market is changing daily and if we don’t change with it, we won’t survive it.