Tech hiring in South Africa is experiencing a resurgence, with a notable increase in remote roles, according to Pnet's latest data. This trend marks a significant shift from the prolonged decline witnessed in the tech sector over the past few years. The data reveals a 18% surge in technology job vacancies in South Africa from the start of the year to the end of October 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. This growth is particularly notable given the mass layoffs at major tech firms from 2022 to 2024, which had a global impact, including South Africa. The rebound in tech hiring is driven by a growing demand for data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning skills, with business analysts, data analysts, data engineers, software developers, and full-stack developers being the most sought-after roles. Pnet's data also highlights a sustained increase in remote vacancies for local tech jobs, with 13% of software developer vacancies advertised in South Africa as of the end of September being for remote positions, including hybrid work roles. This trend is a stark contrast to the pre-pandemic era, when only 2% of IT vacancies were for remote or hybrid positions. However, the push to return to the office has led to a slight dip in remote IT hiring, with 11% of IT vacancies in February 2024 being for remote roles. Despite this, companies continue to prioritize remote IT hiring, with 3.6% of all advertised vacancies on Pnet's platform being for remote or hybrid remote roles as of September 2025. This trend is particularly notable in South Africa, where the drive to bring employees back to the office has been less pronounced compared to other regions, such as Europe, where remote hiring is currently rare.
