South Africa’s job market weakened in July, with overall hiring activity down 5% year-on-year, vacancy ads falling 7%, and candidate searches down 11%, according to Pnet’s Job Market Trends Report for August 2025.

Some sectors, however, are bucking the trend. Design, media, and arts vacancies rose 44% year-on-year, with hiring activity up 8%. Marketing vacancies grew 18%, though hiring slipped 1% month-on-month.

Artificial intelligence remains the fastest-growing field. Since 2019, AI-related job postings have climbed 352%, including a 79% rise in the past three years. Most are in Gauteng (58%), followed by Western Cape (24%) and KwaZulu-Natal (4%).

Top roles include AI software developer, data scientist, data engineer, and machine learning engineer. Tools most requested include ChatGPT, Zapier, and general AI know-how. Pnet said demand is expanding beyond specialist roles as businesses increasingly integrate AI into everyday workflows.