South Africa: AI Skills Gap Informs Immigration Policy

Emerging technologies have entered the list of the top skills shortages. (Image created via ChatGPT) South Africa’s technology skills shortage remains a significant challenge for employers, despite engineering reclaiming the top position in the preliminary findings of the 2026 Critical Skills Survey. According to the survey, ICT specialists were identified by 25% of employers among the skills categories they are struggling most to recruit, placing the sector alongside artisans and behind engineering, which was cited by 29% of respondents. The findings are shared with relevant government departments to inform immigration policy and measures aimed at attracting skilled foreign workers in areas where South Africa faces critical shortages. The study, conducted by immigration and international mobility services firm Xpatweb , also contributes to decisions on which occupations are included on the national Critical Skills List, enabling eligible international workers in listed occupations to access an expedited work visa process. The 2026 survey is led by Marisa Jacobs, MD of Xpatweb, who is also a business representative on the Immigration Advisory Board. “The latest preliminary findings from Xpatweb’s 2026 Critical Skills Survey show the country’s technology talent challenge extends beyond traditional ICT roles, with artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technology skills identified by 22% of respondents as difficult to recruit,” the study states. “The findings indicate that while ICT specialists briefly moved into the top position earlier in the survey process, the latest responses have shifted engineering back into first place.” The survey highlights the continued demand for software developers, data scientists, application development specialists, computer network and systems engineers, developer programmers, cloud consultants, network analysts, network architects and telecommunications network engineers. The 2026 Critical Skills Survey is based on responses from employers across SA, ranging from small and medium businesses, to multinational companies and large corporations. Xpatweb has conducted surveys since 2017 to identify the skills employers are struggling to recruit and provide employer-led input into discussions around SA’s Critical Skills List. The 2026 results are preliminary and reflect responses received at the time of the latest survey update, with respondents able to identify multiple skills categories where they are experiencing recruitment difficulties. AI and emerging technology skills are cited in the study as a distinct recruitment challenge, alongside established ICT occupations. The category was identified by almost a quarter of respondents, putting it fourth among the skills areas employers are finding hardest to recruit. This suggests the technology skills gap is broadening as businesses seek capabilities to support the adoption of newer technologies, while continuing to recruit for core software, cloud, networking, data and telecommunications roles. The findings come as businesses increasingly require technology skills across their operations, rather than only within traditional IT departments. “For employers, the challenge is therefore not limited to finding software developers. It extends across the infrastructure, data, cloud and network capabilities required to support increasingly technology-dependent businesses. The breadth of these roles points to demand for both traditional technical capabilities and newer digital skills.” The broader survey also shows that 82% of organisations continue to experience difficulty hiring critically-skilled employees in SA. Although this represents a decline from 84% in 2025, it remains above the 79% recorded in 2024. This year, engineering has returned to the top of the preliminary rankings, with 29% of respondents identifying the category as difficult to recruit. Among the engineering occupations identified as highly-sought-after are: mechanical engineers, indus