Nobody Can Promise You a Job in 2036. Here Are 12 Careers the Evidence Backs

Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

Search for "best careers in South Africa for the next 10 years" and you'll find dozens of lists, many with impressive salary figures and no explanation of where they came from.

Here's the honest starting point: nobody publishes a reliable 10-year forecast of South African jobs. Technology, the economy and government policy all change too quickly.

What does exist is evidence about where the country is short of skills right now, and has been for years. We built this list only from careers that meet two tests:

1. They appear on the Department of Higher Education and Training's 2024 National List of Occupations in High Demand, the government's official list.
2. They also show up in current employer or labour-market evidence, mainly Xpatweb's 2026 Critical Skills Survey, a survey of employers about the skills they struggle to recruit. Its first findings were published on 22 September 2026 and are still preliminary.

Skills that stay short for years, across different sources, are the best signal available.

The 12 careers

1. Engineers

Engineers are still the hardest skill to find in Xpatweb's preliminary 2026 results: 29% of employers report a shortage. The survey mentions mechanical, industrial, automation, energy and agricultural engineers. The official list includes civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial and energy engineers, among others.

Minimum qualification (official list): usually a bachelor's degree or higher, depending on the discipline.

2. Engineering technicians and technologists

Xpatweb names engineering technologists and technicians in mechanical, electrical and electronic fields. The official list includes electrical and mechanical engineering technicians and civil engineering technologists.

Minimum qualification: often a diploma, which makes this a strong route if a degree isn't possible right now.

3. Electricians and other artisans

ICT specialists and artisans are tied as the second-hardest skills to recruit in Xpatweb's survey, each cited by 25% of employers. Of those short of artisans, 77% want candidates with a Trade Certificate. The official list includes electricians, millwrights, fitters and turners, diesel mechanics, welders and plumbers.

Minimum qualification: a trade qualification and a passed trade test. (See our guide to the trades South Africa is short of.)

4. Software developers

Software developers, developer programmers and web developers are all on the official list. Xpatweb reports ICT specialists as joint second-hardest to fill, alongside artisans, and RegInsights also lists IT and data among the 2026 demand clusters.

Minimum qualification (official list): a diploma or advanced certificate. A portfolio of real projects matters a great deal here.

5. Cybersecurity specialists

"ICT security specialist" is on the official list, and it falls within the ICT specialists that Xpatweb's employers say are joint second-hardest to find.

Minimum qualification: a diploma or advanced certificate, often combined with recognised industry certifications.

6. Data scientists

"Data scientist" is on the official list, and RegInsights includes data analysts, data engineers and data scientists among the IT and data roles in demand in 2026.

Minimum qualification: a bachelor's degree or advanced diploma, usually with strong maths or statistics.

7. Project managers

For the first time in almost a decade, strategic, operational and project management skills are in Xpatweb's top 10, at fifth place (19% of employers). The official list includes programme or project managers, ICT project managers and construction project managers.

The catch: these are usually roles you grow into. Start by getting involved in project work early in any job.

8. Registered nurses

The official list names many nursing specialisations, including critical care, operating theatre, mental health and child health. Xpatweb lists science and healthcare professionals among the skills employers struggle to find, and RegInsights singles out nurses and pharmacists.

Minimum qualification (official list): a nursing degree or advanced diploma (NQF level 7), and higher for some specialisations. You'll also need to register with the South African Nursing Council.

9. Pharmacists

Hospital and retail pharmacists are both on the official list, and RegInsights highlights pharmacists among 2026 healthcare demand.

Minimum qualification: a pharmacy degree, plus registration with the South African Pharmacy Council.

10. Quantity surveyors

Quantity surveyors are on the official list, and Xpatweb mentions them specifically alongside engineering managers as a need.

Minimum qualification (official list): a bachelor's degree or advanced diploma.

11. Energy-efficiency technicians and solar installers

The official list includes energy engineers, energy-efficiency technicians and solar installers. In a Youth Month speech at the Green Youth Indaba in June 2026, Deputy Minister Kenny Morolong named renewable energy as an opportunity area for young people, including installers, electricians, maintenance technicians and energy auditors.

Minimum qualification: a national certificate for installers, a diploma for technicians.

12. Supply chain and logistics professionals

Supply chain practitioners, logistics managers and supply and distribution managers are on the official list. RegInsights names logistics and supply chain among the 2026 demand clusters.

Minimum qualification: a diploma for practitioners, a degree or advanced diploma for managers.

One to watch: AI specialists

AI and emerging-technology specialists appeared as a separate category in Xpatweb's survey for the first time in 2026 (they were previously counted under ICT), in fourth place, with 22% of employers reporting difficulty hiring. They aren't on the 2024 official list. If you're heading into computer science, maths or statistics, this is a direction to keep in mind.

The catch: "in demand" usually means "in demand with experience"

This is the part most career lists leave out. Xpatweb's survey found that:

• 34% of employers short of engineers want people with 3 to 5 years' experience, and 31% want 6 to 10 years.
• More than half of employers short of artisans want 3 to 5 years' experience.

And on the official list, occupations such as electrician, welder, plumber and fitter and turner carry an asterisk, meaning many unemployed people already say they do that work. Employers still say they can't find the people they need, so proof of qualification and experience matters.

So the real question isn't only "what should I study?" It's "how do I get my first two or three years of experience?" Some routes:

• learnerships, internships, apprenticeships and graduate programmes (see our guide to choosing the right first door)
• vacation work and work-integrated learning during your studies
• registration with the professional body for your field as early as you're allowed

How to check any career yourself

1. Search the official list. It's published on gov.za and dhet.gov.za. Look for the job title and the minimum qualification.
2. Check whether it has an asterisk. If it does, plan how you'll stand out with experience and proof.
3. Look at current job adverts for the role in your province. What experience do they ask for?
4. Check the professional body. For nursing, pharmacy, engineering and quantity surveying, registration is part of the route.

The Xpatweb figures are preliminary findings from a survey still under way in September 2026 and may change in the final results. Check whether DHET has published a newer list before making study decisions.