South Africa’s biggest retailers are hiring – and they’re looking for these skills

South African organisations are on the hunt for technology skills, and South Africa’s largest grocery retailers are no exception.

Recruitment agency Pnet said that professionals with IT and Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills are highly sought after in South Africa, which is also true for Shoprite and Spar.

Shoprite, South Africa’s biggest retailer, told BusinessTech that it is actively searching to recruit professionals for its IT and technology roles.

Shoprite said that it is looking for the following skills:

• Supply chain management experience
• SEO
• Analytics
• Project Management (WMS)
• Machine Learning
• AI
• Software Engineers (Golang)
• Programming
• Engineers (Golang and ReactJS) 
• Software Engineers (Golang and ReactJS) 

The Shoprite Group is now inviting technology students and seasoned Information Technology (IT) professionals to join the group by applying for its bursary programme or various available job opportunities.

The retailer’s comprehensive bursary programme covers tuition fees and on-campus accommodation, provides a grocery allowance, and guarantees employment upon graduation.

Youth studying scarce and sought after skills can apply by visiting the group’s career page before 30 September 2023.

Spar skills

SPAR’s National Human Resources Executive National Human Resources Executive Dr Thuli Tabudi, also provided a list of skills that the group is looking for, with STEM and IT skills again remaining a priority.

Here are some of the skills that Tabudi said Spar is searching for:

• Risk, Governance and Compliance across the business
• Cross-functional skills of IT with Marketing, Merchandise
• Chartered Accountants and L&D, respectively
• Data Management, Analytical Skills, IT Architecture and Development in the Omnichannel space
• IT Governance, Data/Information Security and Cyber Security
• There are also positions within Logistics such as Industrial Engineers and good calibre Logistics Senior Managers e.g. Inbound and Outbound

However, Tabudi said that the skills in older systems (like AS400) are becoming obsolete as the company shifts to a SAP system.

Skill shortage

Despite the drive for IT skills in South Africa, there is a shortage of these skills in South Africa.

According to the recent ManpowerGroup South Africa Employment Outlook Survey, 78% of local organisations are struggling to find the IT talent that they need, with demand for skilled IT professions increasing by 29% over the last 12 months.

Tabudi said that South Africa’s current education does not provide the tech skills that Spar needs.

“Public institutions of higher learning (which are the most affordable option for the majority of school leavers) are not currently able to provide the level of IT skills we require,” she said.

“Private IT institutions are extremely costly and not accessible to many learners/employees, hence there is very little opportunity for previously disadvantaged individuals to access the field.”

However, she said that the group tries to capacitate and grow its staff once they enter junior IT roles.

Moreover, despite saying that the group prefers to higher those with permanent SA residency, she said SAP skills are extremely difficult to come by. However, she said that the group is yet to recruit internationally as they prefer to stay at home.

Shoprite is tackling the issue by launching its own tech academy this year, which can help people in Software Engineering, Software Testing, Cyber Security, Data Science, Data Engineering and SAP specialization.

Below are some positions currently being advertised across Spar and Shoprite: