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- There has been a sharp increase in recruitment assignments for mid- to-senior management level positions in SA, according to a report.
- The latest Michael Page Salary Guide and Hiring Insights report includes a look at what jobs in which sectors are in demand.
- It also provides a look at what the average annual salaries are at SMEs and multinationals.
There has been a sharp increase in recruitment assignments for mid- to senior-management-level positions in South Africa this year compared to last year, according to Paul Newman, operating director of specialist global recruitment company PageGroup in South Africa.
He believes this indicates that businesses are in need of strong leadership and skilled candidates with considerable experience to drive business recovery during challenging and uncertain times.
The latest Michael Page Salary Guide and Hiring Insights surveyed 318 job applicants in South Africa. More than half indicated that they think potential employers are also looking for soft skills like good communicators who work well in a team and can readily solve problems.
The survey results also suggest that quality of life and career development considerations drive relocation just as much as flexible working practices do.
Most respondents (54%) believe that companies should look more closely at flexible work patterns and consider policies like banning emails and meetings during non-official working hours. About 44% said their management and leadership should be trained to better equip them to handle employee issues surrounding mental health.
"With organisations realising that working from home can be productive and is a true solution, we have noticed a sharp increase in global organisations sourcing scarce talent to be based anywhere across the world, this is particularly true within the technology sector where there is a real skills shortage in South Africa," Newman explains in the report.
"With organisations running lean teams, they are looking for top talent to not only lead businesses but perform critical roles within their functions."
Positions in demand
The positions most in demand in engineering and manufacturing are head of engineering; project director; quality assurance or quality control manager; health, safety and environment manager; and product supervisor.
Examples of average annual salaries in this sector are R1.2 million for a manufacturing director at an SME and R1.7 million at a multinational company; R850 000 for a factory or plant manager at an SME and R1.2 million at a multinational; and R500 000 for a production engineer at an SME and R700 000 at a multinational.
In the finance and accounting field the positions most in demand are that of commercial finance manager or controller; tax-orientated roles; finance manager; head of finance; and accountant.
In this sector the average annual salary of group or regional chief financial officer is R2.5 million at an SME and R4 million at a multinational. That of a finance director is R1.8 million at an SME and R3 million at a multinational, and a financial accountant (CA) at an SME can expect to earn on average R600 000 and R750 000 at a multinational.
A tax director can expect an average annual salary of R1.3 million at an SME and R1.9 million at a multinational, while a tax accountant comes in at R500 000 at an SME and R650 000 at a multinational.
Positions in demand in the procurement and supply chain sector are supply chain planning; demand planner; procurement manager; logistics manager; and plant supervisors. The average annual salary for a procurement director is R1.4 million at an SME and R1.9 million at a multinational. A supply chain logistics director can expect R1.6 million at an SME and R2.2 million at a multinational.
In the sales and marketing sector the positions in demand are business development manager/technical sales; marketing manager; e-commerce key accounts manager; strategy transformation manager; and brand manager. A general manager in this sector can expect to earn annually on average R2 million at an SME and R2.2 million at a multinational.
The head of marketing at an SME can expect to earn R1.6 million at an SME and R2 million at a multinational and a general manager in sales on average R1.9 million at an SME and R2.2 million at a multinational.
Last, but not least, jobs in demand in the technology sector are cloud computing; artificial intelligence and machine learning; data scientist; software development and cybersecurity.
A chief information officer earns annually on average R1.4 million at an SME and R1.8 million at a multinational, while an IT manager at an SME earns R800 000 and R1.2 million at a multinational. The head of software development earns R1 million at an SME and R1.3 million at a multinational.
